Getting Up
by lilpurplebird
Summary: A progression of how an act of kindness changed the lives of two Digimon. 100 themes challenge.
1. Birth

Can't believe I'm crazy enough to do this, but I'm taking the 100 themes challenge—or one of them, because there's so many lists that I just ended up picking one and apply it to Digimon, particularly Wizardmon and Gatomon with a few other characters here and there, because insanity. Yeah.

Each theme has no word limit, so they can be short or long depending on how much I write for that prompt. Chapters also may or may not be chronological, even though I would like to make some kind of connection between them all, and show _some_ kind of progression. Ratings may also vary between prompts, but I'll make that effort to not go beyond a "T" rating overall. Can't guarantee it, though.

I've stalled long enough. Hope you enjoy.

 **Disclaimer:** ** **Digimon © Toei Animation, Bandai****

* * *

 _The moment she broke out of her Digi-Egg, YukimiBotamon knew of her purpose. She knew there was someone coming for her, that she was born to be with them forever. She made the vow to be there for them, to protect them, and to just be a friend—whatever any of that meant. Somewhere in the back of her mind, as she stared up at the sky, she questioned her existence._

 _ **Why am I here? Who am I waiting for? Why am I waiting for them?**_

 _YukimiBotamon became Nyaromon before she realized it, and explored her surroundings more. As seasons passed, it slowly began to sink in that she was alone. The In-Training had no one to talk to, no one to play with to pass the time, no one to protect. Her excitement and patience for this someone steadily began to wane as her loneliness and doubt filled her up._

 _Something wasn't right._

 _It took a little effort to become Salamon, but she couldn't enjoy her new form, as there was no one to celebrate with. Abandoning her birthplace, she wandered, going wherever she felt like. She stopped looking up at the sky, knowing there was nothing waiting for her but wide, open space. It was clear she had to track them down, it was silly otherwise for her to continue to sit and twiddle her newfound paws._

 _Then a shadow enveloped her, and she watched as a wicked smirk spread into existence. Spindly fingers reached out to take up her entire vision, and all she could do was stare in horror, frozen in fear._

Eyes snapping open, Gatomon slowly uncurled herself, pulling her claws out of the cot. "That dream again,"she muttered bitterly to herself, casting her gaze about the small room. Her long tail swayed gently, the ring at the tuft of lavender fur glinting from what little moonlight streamed in.

Her ears perked up when there came a frantic knock beyond the wood. "Yo, Hairball, open up!"

Hissing under her breath, she leapt off the bed to answer it and glare at DemiDevimon. "Can it, Butterball. What do you want?"

He sneered before his golden eyes lit up in some form of excitement. "Lord Myotismon's giving out reconnaissance duties in a few minutes."

Gatomon's expression fell. "Oh, goody."

He scowled at her dry tone. "What's with that attitude? I thought you like going outside?"

"I don't like _anything_." She sniffed as she walked past, taking care to smack him in the side. "But _anything_ is better than this hellhole," she added over his cursing.


	2. Building

The list I had found was labeled as an "emotion list" of sorts. So on that note, how is "building" an emotion, exactly? Just wondering.

* * *

Gatomon blinked in surprise, although not as much as the crowd of Bakemon accompanying her. "Come again?"

The Champion Digimon remained bowed at the waist, though he lifted his head to peer at her beneath his hat's rim. "I wish to join your party."

The ghosts began murmuring amongst themselves, causing her to shoot them warning glances. "You wish to pledge a lifetime service to Lord Myotismon's army?" she confirmed what he had said, tucking away her claw buffer.

He straightened up, using the sun staff as a crutch. "I do not approve of his work. However, if there are others like you working for him, I may tolerate it."

Gatomon found herself impressed. He wasn't like any other Digimon she had met in the past, both in appearance and mannerisms. There was something to him that made her think she found the ace in the hole, and would definitely get her on Myotismon's good side. For once in her life, showing pity brought a good intention.

"I know we talked last night," she spoke up, crossing her legs, "but for standard procedure, I'm going to need your name, and what you'll have to offer us."

"I am Wizardmon, miss." He took off his hat for a formal nod. "I have traveled for many moons across many lands. Thus, I have knowledge that may prove to be useful."

"So you're a vagabond?"

"Yes. As an aspiring scholar, I have made it a personal duty to learn about this world."

Gatomon began to suspect he wasn't going to be a good candidate. Myotismon wanted _fighters_ , not someone who was going to read on the job. Though on second thought, having someone with brains would insure order, strategy, and proper knowledge on where they were, and what they could go up against. The less casualties they would have, the better.

She decided to continue with the interrogation. "Is that your main weapon?" she nodded to the staff.

Wizardmon gave it a twirl, sparks igniting from the core. "One of them. I'm a sorcerer, after all."

"I see. You must be powerful."

The mage scratched at his cheek, glancing away sheepishly. "Well, I don't like to toot my own horn..."

The feline had a puzzling mental image involving Wizardmon blowing on a Monochromon's horn still attached to the Dinosaur Digimon. Wanting to shake it out of her head, she asked the next thought that came to her. "What's with the getup in this environment?"

Wizardmon scarcely glanced down at himself. "It's my normal attire. I'm tempted to ask _you_ the same question, as you don't need a winter coat at this time."

Gatomon smirked, feeling a vein briefly throb at her temple. "It's the latest fashion statement," she quipped, resting her elbow on the table.

He clicked his tongue with a shake of the head. "So typical of women putting beauty before common sense."

"So being a scholar makes you a smart-ass, eh?"

His green irises gleamed in amusement when he raised his brows. "I prefer the term 'enthusiastic learner', thank you very much."

"Uh huh."

"Hey, let me in on the banter!" came DemiDevimon's squawk as he made his way over.

Gatomon's fur bristled as she swerved to leer at him. "Don't bug me, I'm in the middle of interrogation!"

He let out a "hmph" as he turned his non-existent nose up at her. "Well if those insults didn't sound like flirting, then I'm a dung ball with wings."

"Wait, he isn't?" a Bakemon blurted out in near-surprise, looking between his brethren.

DemiDevimon grew flustered, then spun to face the specters. "Where the hell have you bozos been?! I've been looking everywhere for ya!"

"Take them off my claws, will you, Dung Ball?"

She grinned wickedly when he gnashed his teeth, and after he glared daggers at Wizardmon, ushered the Bakemon off for the town. Gatomon turned back with a disgruntled sigh, brows knitted in irritation. "Why did I have to be stuck with _him?_ " she grumbled.

Her ears twitched at the sound of the mage holding back a snicker, his face buried in a gloved hand. As her cheeks heated up, she huffed through her nose and hopped off her seat to leave. "I have no further questions for you," she stated as boldly as possible.

Wizardmon cleared his throat to recompose himself. "So, er... when do I start?"

Folding her arms, Gatomon glimpsed over her shoulder. "I never said you were in."

Despite the majority of his face being hidden behind his cowl, she could just see a smile manifesting itself. "But you never said I _wasn't_. I'm just waiting for some clarification at this point."

Recalling their conversation the previous night, the feline couldn't help thinking he was acting different, like the Wizardmon she had saved had been replaced by a lookalike. Their talk may have been about as long as it was that moment, but he clearly had another personality, more cold and distant. There was no way someone could change in such a short amount of time unless their true self was hidden behind a mask.

Something about him bothered her, though she couldn't put her claw on why.

Taking in a breath, Gatomon faced him, her expression still stern. "To be honest, Wizardmon... I don't want you to join. You clearly don't belong with us, and I don't want you to be involved." Frowning, she waved him off. "Please go home and forget about all of this."

"I have no place to go."

It was as if he had expected it to answer as he did. She didn't know how to respond, and just shook her head.

"What about you?" he asked her. "You don't seem like the kind who would do terrible things."

"You'd be surprised," she muttered, fighting back a shudder. "It's my job, it's what I was raised to do. I don't always like it, but I don't have any other place to go if I get to leave."

Why should _he_ care, she found herself questioning. He had to be using excuses for why he wanted to join, so much like the Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon duo DemiDevimon had recruited the other day. At least Wizardmon's made _some_ sense compared to theirs, but she didn't want to hire him based on that. Digimon by nature were nomadic, perhaps even solitary. If he would take better care of himself, there'd be no need to beg for any place to stay.

"I still insist on joining," he interrupted her thoughts. "If anything... it's so you can have someone to talk to."

Gatomon then cracked a smile. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you," she mused half-aloud.

Wizardmon gave a shrug. "Once I make up my mind, it takes a lot of persuasion to change it."

His response won her over. With a slow sigh, she rubbed the back of her neck as she looked away. "Well, I have to bring back recruits anyway. You're not going to get off my back about it no matter what I say, so I guess I don't have a choice."

He gave a bow. "I promise, Gatomon—"

"Just don't address me so casually." The elven sorcerer snapped his head up at her tone, which she lowered on her next breath. "Effective immediately, I give the orders, and you follow with a 'Yes, ma'am!' Do I make myself clear?"

Wizardmon nodded and resumed his motion of thanks. "Yes, ma'am."

Gatomon snorted, a wry smile on her lips. "What have I gotten myself into?"


	3. Hate

So it looks like point-of-views will change every other chapter or so. Came to my mind yesterday that I'd like to try to have some equal balance between the perspectives of Wizardmon and Gatomon. We'll see how it plays out.

* * *

Her eyes and aura changed the moment they stepped onto the castle grounds, a transition that startled Wizardmon. Gatomon may not have been a saint the entire trek back, but she was at least pleasant. It now made him feel ill to be yards away from her, and the way she barked at the rambunctious Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon (despite not being in charge of them) made her insults to DemiDevimon child's play. The two huddled nearer the back with the Bakemon and Gazimon out of fear of getting on her bad side again, and even the Mammothmon they brought with them looked reluctant. The mage was wise to hold his tongue, choosing to keep the same pace and wait for orders.

They came to a halt just before the grand entrance where a cloaked figure carrying a scythe greeted them. "You're late by two days," he told her, the eerie whisper sending chills down the new recruits' spines. "Lord Myotismon isn't going to take this lightly."

The feline sniffed, pointing behind her at the large Ultimate. "That tank of fur slowed us down. We would've been back on time if it hadn't been for that."

DemiDevimon decided to butt in. "But who was the genius who got us lost our first day out?"

Wizardmon frowned at the obscene gesture Gatomon gave the bat.

Unfazed, the specter opened the doors. "You all may come wait in the lobby, but you, Bakemon," and he pointed the scythe at the group, "need to take the Mammothmon around." As the Bakemon did as ordered, the blue eyes scanned the new recruits before asking, "Which of you is responsible for it?"

"I am," the feline purred, her tail swaying. "Didn't even dirty up my fur wrangling it."

A Cheshire grin appeared beneath the shadows. "Well, guess who's in charge of taking care of it?"

Gatomon suddenly bristled, her paws balling into fists. "That's grunt work! I'd be too busy with other important matters!"

Then suddenly, the already-cold room chilled over, and everyone dropped to one knee with bowed heads. Wizardmon fought against the tremor, leaning on his staff for ballast until he was roughly yanked down, just catching Gatomon's look of disapproval before she hid beneath her ears. He glanced about cautiously, straining his hearing for any approach just to nearly stumble backward when a bat swooped by and knocked his hat askew. Before them, a figure materialized from the darkness, and although he kept his eyes on the ground, the sorcerer could feel the steely gaze studying them.

"I was just about to send out scouts to look for you," a deep voice addressed, specifically to Gatomon and DemiDevimon. "I trust you were successful in your enlisting."

"Well, Master Myotismon," the bat spoke up, "it seems you're not very popular out in the countryside—"

"Was I speaking to _you_ , DemiDevimon?"

After watching him cower and whimper, Wizardmon had a feeling he was knocked around a lot in the castle. As much as he didn't like him after spending a day listening to him spat and blab on about "Lord Myotismon this and that", he couldn't help pitying over how much he was living in fear. Even Gatomon, despite her change in attitude, didn't look comfortable being in his presence.

"But since you volunteered first, who have you brought?"

DemiDevimon's countenance changed, and Wizardmon's pity dropped. "Some Gazimon, a Gotsumon, and a Pumpkinmon, sir! They're very energetic, should be the life of the party! Right?"

The Digimon jumped to their feet and gave a salute, albeit stiffly. "Pleased to meet you, Myotismon, sir!"

Gatomon snorted under her breath.

Myotismon promptly ignored the newcomers to bring his attention to her. She noticeably flinched when he stepped over to be directly in front of her, but kept his distance. "And you, Gatomon?"

"Sir, I can attest to DemiDevimon's testimony that it was... _remotely_ difficult to draft Digimon." Her voice was tight, but still loud enough to drown out that she was frightened. "But unlike him, I was looking for strength and cunning, which I will admit is foolish of me to look for quality over quantity."

"Get to the point," was the impatient snap.

Her ears flattened a little. "The Bakemon are taking it around back, but I have won over a Mammothmon. There should be some worth to it, Lord Myotismon."

She apparently was not good with words, but she was also withholding other information. Wizardmon grew wary of the heavy silence that followed, quickly concluding something was about to befall her. He tightly gripped his wand, hoping she would continue and clear things up, yet nothing came. She had not once lifted her head the entire time, looking as if she was expecting—no, accepting the punishment that was to come.

It was only an instant, nonetheless his strong premonitions gave him enough time to catch the crimson whip with his staff. All eyes were on him, a few jaws dropping in the crowd, though he ignored them to look at the dark lord at last. Even he looked surprised for someone who was mostly stoic.

"What do you think you're doing?" Myotismon coldly addressed, stony irises glinting menacingly in the shadows. "Who do you think you are to stand up to me like that?"

Giving a slight nod, he replied, "The name's Wizardmon."

Myotismon clearly wasn't stupid, nor one who was easily impressed if what he gathered for the short time he was there was true. He only said three words to him as his greeting, and already he was off to a bad start. Wizardmon rarely had regrets for his actions, and the moment was not about to be one of them even when the undead lord let out a displeased scoff.

"You must be the _other_ new recruitment. Well then, might as well give you lesson one." He withdrew his whip, but then snatched him by the collar to bring him to eye-level; for a lanky Digimon, he had impressive arm strength. The mage scarcely eyed the fangs, fighting the urge to avert his gaze elsewhere but at the vampire himself, though he ended up shrinking back from the remnants of wine on his breath. "Know your place."

Wizardmon sternly pursed his lips, not daring to say another word whether or not it was the right choice. With a sniff, Myotismon roughly threw him down back in line, and looked at Gatomon who quickly bowed her head. "Is he yours?"

"Yes'sir. I'll see to it that he gets punished."

Swishing his cape around himself, the dark lord stepped past them for the doors. "I'm going out to feed. Take them to their rooms. They'll start their training in the morning."

"Yes, Lord Myotismon," Gatomon and DemiDevimon said in unison (though the Rookie stumbled on his words, still stunned).

The moment the doors clacked shut and Wizardmon moved to stand, he barely caught the white blur before he found himself staggering back to his knees, his cheek stinging. Blood dripped to the marble floor and down his neck when he lifted his head to look at the feline. The sharpness in her glare pierced through his soul once they made eye-contact.

"Never do that again!" she yelled, dropping her paw.

Something about her wasn't quite making sense to him. She may have anger in her voice, but her eyes didn't reflect it on the same level. She was upset, almost furious, yet she was still in the same shock from when he had caught the whip, the slight tremble in her figure proved it. It may have been all for show in front of the others for all he knew, if only to have witnesses. Or she had indeed kept her word, and this "punishment" may have been all it was, if not just the start of it.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling he got more than what he bargained for, that this was the norm here.

In hoping they were both on the same page, Wizardmon gave her an apologetic bow. "...Yes, ma'am."


	4. Knife

I'm beginning to wonder if I should start listing word counts for every prompt/chapter. It feels like that'd be appreciative of me to do, if not so I could keep track of how much I write.

* * *

"If you want yourself a better room, you'd better work your way up the ranks."

From what he had been told, ranks dictated living quarters, and the higher up the echelon, the closer to the ground floor. Wizardmon had never known of a castle in the structure of a labyrinth, although as he looked around at all the oddities and twists they encountered, it was clear some kind of spell was cast on the place. With that knowledge in mind, he figured he'd be able to navigate freely within a week, and that in itself could help him climb the ranks.

The top floor reminded him more of a roomier attic, but rattier and full of holes. He frowned at the condition, wondering how it hadn't caved in on them. Gatomon didn't seem to notice nor even care as she led him adjacent to a door, a bucket of water sitting outside of it.

"This is the best room on this floor," she said, ignoring the whistle a passing Numemon let out. "It recently became vacant, so it hasn't been tidied up, but it should do."

This was the kindest she had been to him since they had arrived. He was tempted to tell her, "You didn't have to," but once the room opened up, such a statement became moot. If suspicious-looking mold covering the walls and rusted bars on the window were considered "best", he hated to think what the other rooms looked like.

Wizardmon tossed in a small piece of rubble he had picked up on the way to test the floor before cautiously stepping in. "I take it this room is near a water source."

"You could say that." Gatomon lifted a claw to the ceiling, revealing a gaping hole. "It's the rainy season now, in case you want to know."

His face fell slightly at the sight. He was going to be tidying up for a long while. "Oh, gods, the bed's directly below it, too..."

"You can decorate it however you want," she said, giving him an odd look. "That's one of the few liberties you have here."

Wizardmon let out a quiet sigh, then shrugged in defeat. At least he had _that_ to look forward to. "Thank you for showing me around, and for the warnings. I'll do my best." He hauled in the bucket, then frowned at the absence of a rag, sponge, or anything.

Gatomon glanced outside for a brief scan. "Someone must've taken the mop, but you wouldn't have wanted to use it, trust me."

"No matter. I'm a magician, I can just conjure up anything I need." He twirled his staff, and it changed into a mop before their eyes. The moment he dipped it into the bucket, suds bubbled up from the depths.

The feline quickly hid her surprise with a frown, folding her arms. "How pointlessly convenient."

He quietly chuckled, and got to work cleaning his room. "I don't blame you for thinking that way. It probably comes off as such because I only use it when I need to."

"So why couldn't you have magicked up some water for yourself, then, when you needed it?"

"I didn't have anything of equal or similar substance on hand. Even so, trust me when I say that magicked water is nothing compared to the real thing." He slyly winked, though she may have missed it. "Same goes for food and other necessities. Magic doesn't mean you can make anything appear in thin air, you have to have pulled it out of _somewhere_ , or at least from a similar make-up." He patted the mop handle. "I'm sure there's experienced wizardry where one can create something from _air_ , but that's most likely some kind of black magic if anything."

Glancing over at her, Wizardmon was amused to see Gatomon with a blank expression. He scratched at his head with a small laugh. "Sorry if I'm boring you. I don't often explain it, so I don't have a way to sum it up for you."

She just shook her head, then dipped her chin in, a shadow falling over her eyes. "I told you you shouldn't have joined," she murmured.

He paused to gaze down at her. "I appreciate you looking after me, Gatomon—I'm sorry, _ma'am_ , but I have my reasons."

"It's not too late to change your mind."

The foreboding in her voice concerned him, though he resumed his mopping. "I've made up my mind," he stated, trying not to sound stubborn. "It's like they say: I made my bed, so I must lie in it."

He heard the ring on her tail clink. "If you want to leave, you can't waltz out the front gate whenever you want. There's only one way to escape this hell."

Wizardmon watched Gatomon leap over for the bureau, and with some effort yanked open the bottom drawer. His eyes widened when she pulled out a knife. "What are you doing?" he gasped, stepping forward.

She turned to face him, holding it out. "You can end it here, and no one will blame you for it."

The mop materialized back into his staff when it hit the floor. He could only stand frozen in place, taking in her solemn expression. "No way... you can't be serious..."

"I've lived here long enough to see my share of Digimon delete themselves in desperation," she muttered, her eyes glossing over. "They should be lucky Myotismon hasn't done anything to the castle that would prevent reconfiguration from happening. I _think_ he hasn't, anyway, although I've always wondered where we keep getting all of these Bakemon from."

When he didn't move, Gatomon stepped over to place it in his hand. His tense fingers curled around the hilt subconsciously, the dull blade shining menacingly in the light. "Why?" he breathed out, meeting her gaze again.

She could only shrug, turning away. "Since you're considered a slave until you die, it's the more logical route to take to get out."

"No, why _me_?"

The blue in her irises seemed to dull to a gloomy gray. "You look like a good, sane person who'd never stoop to our level. I can't see you ever surviving a week and keeping even a portion of your personality intact."

It answered so much, and yet so little while bringing up more questions. If the inhabitants of the castle were as twisted as the corridors itself, how was it the structure hadn't collapsed in on them, figuratively and literally? How deep did their insanity go? What horrors went on inside the walls? If someone like Gatomon had been there from the beginning, why didn't she show such signs? Did he stand a chance?

Could he trust her?

The thought of death still bothered him, yet that nagging feeling saw the idea welcoming if what she said was true. The choice unfortunately lacked an alternative: eternal slave, or temporary death. But then again, what if the Powers That Be frowned down upon self-deletion? What was the punishment _then?_ And what of his integrity?

Wizardmon sternly met her gaze. "I refuse."

Gatomon briefly looked as though she had been slapped back to reality. "Don't throw away this chance," she insisted. "You still have time."

He tossed the knife to the doorway. "If you want me out of here, then delete me yourself."

Emotions clashed on her face as her eyes dropped to his patched-up cheek, her paws shakily furling. "It may be better me than someone else here," she whispered bitterly, "but I don't want to stain my claws further with your blood."

It was only for that one instant in her honesty that she looked similar to that night they first talked. The recollection brought a sense of closure to the magician as he nodded. "Then I will keep on living," he proposed both to her and himself. "This was a choice I made on my own, and I will see through it to the end."

Tail twitching, the feline let out a scoff. "You're a fool." She plodded for the door where she picked up the knife. Her voice hardened as she ordered, "Tomorrow at sunrise, you're to meet up with the other recruits in the East Wing. Don't be a second late, even if the trainer is a no-show."

"You're not in charge of my training?" Wizardmon asked in surprise, brows raised.

"Not at the moment, no. If you make it through this week, you might get me. But you better hope you get lucky and ease your way up." Looking over her shoulder, she smirked and spun the weapon in her claws. "I'm major for a reason."


	5. Anticipation

Not a fan of this one, but meh, it's late, it's what first came to mind, and this was the closest prompt for it.

* * *

Like with all new recruits, Gatomon had her reasons for why she avoided Wizardmon all week. She didn't want to keep surveillance on him all day, nor be there as a guide. That wasn't her job, let alone her business to hold hands with every Digimon that came to the castle. Unless they were outside castle boundaries or under certain circumstances, she would only take responsibility for their actions and deal with their punishments. Everyone was otherwise left to fend for themselves.

Sink or swim. Do or die. Eat or be eaten. It was the same meaning with different phrases, but it was the unspoken rule at the castle, and her personal motto that she made sure to beat into every idiot that dared to cross her path.

Even so, she began hearing whispers. Rumors spread quickly among the henchmen, and details were easily mixed up, but it was the "now" from what she could gather. It was not her thing to gossip nor care about what everyone was talking about (as long as it wasn't about her, although it was the one time), yet she couldn't help being interested.

For some odd reason, though, there was never a name attached to the rumors.

"He was too good for Nanimon that he just gave up earlier than usual to go drinking."

"To be _fair_ , _anyone's_ too good for him, useless drunk. Phantomon would've had his head."

(That got a roll of the eyes out of her, nothing more.)

"He solved that Minotarumon labyrinth within an hour, tops."

"I heard _two_ hours, but that's cooler."

"It took two because he had to grapple with a group at once."

"No, he was too cool for the labyrinth that it fell apart the moment he stepped in. I should know, I'm repairing it."

(She didn't find it believable in the slightest—not with all the objectives one had to do in the labyrinth. Although she had wondered what that one distant rumble was.)

"He _is_ a Digimon, right? How many Digimon have that many moves to them?"

"He's faking or pulling them out of his ass, that's the only explanation."

"He's an alien! Maybe he came from that Vademon's dimension!"

"Well he's not of _this_ world, that's for sure."

"The hell's an alien?"

(She didn't know what an alien even was, either, but it intrigued her such a versatile Digimon could exist.)

"If he's so good, what's he doing here hanging with us? He's putting our top dogs to shame!"

"I've never heard of a new recruit climbing the ranks like that."

"Major Bitch isn't going to be happy when she hears of this."

(Even after punching the Sukamon's lights out, she had to admit he was right about that.)

"Yo, Puss 'N' Boots, have you heard?"

"It depends, Batboy," Gatomon retorted, tail whipping in annoyance. "I hear all sorts of things in these walls, and it's been chatty this week. I think I'm about to go deaf from it."

"Well, stop me if you heard this one: we got our ace in the hole!"

She stared at him, thinking there'd be more added to it. "Go on," she unenthusiastically goaded.

DemiDevimon just shrugged. "I got nothing. Everyone's said all the good things, but it's pretty much true."

The feline huffed and resumed her trek to her room. "Who cares, anyway? Everyone needs to get a life or something instead of hyping up this Digimon. If he's such a hotshot, why isn't he coming out to prove he is?"

"Maybe his ego's not big enough just yet."

She scoffed. "Please."

"And you know," he continued to blab, "don't you think it's weird that all this talk started the day _after_ we got back?"

For once, DemiDevimon was on to something now that she thought on it. She knew of no Digimon who could complete such tasks in such a short amount of time, or with such power as to bring down entire structures that were designed to hold up against anything. Even if the rumors were nothing more than tall tales at this point, how they originated _had_ to have happened. It was a bit of a surprise Myotismon hadn't checked it out in person, surely he had to have known about the rumors for a few days.

It was as bothersome as she suspected.

"I'm telling ya, something smells fishy—hey, where are ya headed?"

Gatomon ignored the bat as she slipped to the nearest staircase and climbed to the top floor. The visit spooked the residents she passed, and many of them fled if they so much as caught a glimpse of her. Normally, she reveled in their fear of her, but she set it aside for that moment to focus on the object of her thoughts. Even if it was just a peek, she had to make sure.

The feline figured it was polite to knock, yet she doubted he was in his room at this time. Well, at least she would get to see what he did with it, and if he succeeded in getting all that mold off. Asserting her authority, she opened the door to a spotless, empty room, and it was the "empty" part of the picture she found herself stuck on. Then again, he _was_ a magician. Perhaps he cast a spell to turn everything invisible—though that sounded ridiculous, there was nothing to _hide_ in the castle.

She pounded on the doorway, chipping it. "This isn't making sense," she growled, ears flattening in irritation. "What the hell's going on?"

"Er... ma'am?

Gatomon swerved her head to find the Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon duo cowering at another doorway she presumed was their room. Straightening up, she smoothed down her fur and glared as she strutted for the exit. She didn't want to put up with whatever they had on their minds, she'd fetch DemiDevimon if she had to.

"I-If you're looking for the Wizardmon that was in there," one of them stuttered in a gravely voice, "he's moved down a floor."

They flinched when she spun to gape at them. "He did?"

Even they looked surprised when they nodded. "I know, right?" the Puppet Digimon said, still nervous. "We couldn't believe it even though we've seen him in action."

Gotsumon spoke up, "I don't know if you've heard this, but there's rumors he's about as strong as you, maybe better—but we wouldn't know. You recruited him, right? You should get a promotion, or something."

As much as that sounded appealing, after piecing Wizardmon together with all the accounts from the past week, all Gatomon could do was chuckle in relief under her breath. "I should've known," she muttered, scratching absentmindedly at an ear.


	6. Submission

Also not a fan of this one, but I dunno, I find writing insults to be fun, I guess.

* * *

Surveying from the sidelines, Phantomon let out a string of giggles at Gatomon's expression. " _My_ , never thought I'd see a cat get its own tongue."

She was shaking in shock and fury, but managed a glare for him. "Did you know of this?" she hissed.

He tapped the dull side of the scythe where his chin would be if he had (a visible) one. "I know of many things," he replied in feigned innocence. "Why? The wizard's yours, yes?"

Her eyes narrowed before swerving back to the group trekking their way across the grounds.

Phantomon grinned evilly. He loved watching her squirm. "If you're not careful, he's going to out-rank you," he slyly brought up. "Imagine that, you following orders from someone other than Myotismon. Ooh, I look forward to that day."

She gritted her teeth as she forced a smirk. "Don't worry. It won't come to that."

In less than a minute, the Digimon lined up before her, a total of six for her to bat around (actually seven, the Vegiemon was just _now_ coming into view). She scanned the lot, the select few that had proved their worth to aim for the top tier. With exception of Wizardmon, they had all been with the army for at least six months, and had been beaten down and hardened by the training and personal life in the castle. They were tough, nasty, and just overall arrogant.

Gatomon loved to go after such weaknesses and knock them down several pegs. Myotismon may not have always been happy with her for halting progress, but she had her reasons.

Once the Vegiemon got within earshot, he started to chortle as though to lighten the mood and brush off the fact he had arrived last. "Man, that's the last time I stuff myself before training. Oh hey, thanks for saving me a spo—"

He was silenced with a tail slammed into his gut, the momentum throwing him back several meters into a tree. Barely able to eek out a cough, the Vegetation Digimon weakly peered up at the shadow falling over him, wincing at the glow of blue fire.

"I do not tolerate tardiness!" Gatomon spat, her ring gleaming into his eye. "Just because those slugs who trained you are lenient about it doesn't mean _I_ am one of them! You want to work breakfast off, tubby? Then sprint around the perimeter of the castle until you puke every last crumb, and then run another ten laps! _Tout suite_!"

The Vegiemon hopped up and scurried off with a yelp, vines flailing about. Huffing, the feline spun on her heels to sneer at the remaining Digimon, all visibly stiff in their stances. She paced before them, making sure to meet them in the eye as she passed.

"First things first!" she barked in the face of a Gizamon, who jumped and startled the Woodmon beside it. "Break that 'sir, yes, sir' bullshit habit! You are to address me as 'ma'am' and nothing more! They don't call me 'Major Bitch' for nothing, but if you address me by that, I will kick your ass into the dungeons! Or I'll just kick your ass, depends on my mood."

She ignored Phantomon's laugh and continued on, reaching the end of the line and spinning around to walk back down. "You may be made of data, but you're all nothing but a waste of space! I don't care if you happen to have the most gigas out of all of us," she smacked the Tuskmon upside the snout with her tail, "if you're not worth your weight in data, you're trash, and I will see to your deletion! I will work you all down to the binary, and you will feel every piece of you bend and break! I will completely rewrite your entire programing for my personal whims, and you shall obey orders without question, without hesitation! Don't you dare even think of crying to me about it, this is what you signed up for!"

Pausing at the swaying Sukamon and Chuumon on her second trip, Gatomon got in their faces. "Did you get all that, shit for brains? I'm not counting the two of you as one, you both will have to pull your equal weight so you can pass this training and thus get out of my sight because the both of you sicken me to my stomach. Don't make me talk to you again, or you'll be nothing but a smear on the ground."

The two, although clearly offended, gave her a salute. "Yes'sir—ma'am!"

Growling in suspicion, she straightened up and strolled down to the end where she stopped to meet Wizardmon in the eyes. He didn't look much different from the last time she saw him, he had even fixed his cowl so it looked good as new, although he looked a little ragged at a closer inspection. The way he stared back made her fur stand on end, and she could swear Phantomon had moved in.

Quickly, she disguised her sudden discomfort with another interrogation. "What is your reason for being here, soldier?"

She was impressed he was quick to answer. "To fulfill my purpose, ma'am!"

" _Your_ purpose?" she snorted. This was new, but she didn't like what she had heard. "You don't own anything under Lord Myotismon's rule, let alone have a purpose outside of serving him. Let's hear this so-called purpose, soldier."

"It's to repay a debt, ma'am!"

The brief murmuring was silenced by a swift leer, then a crooked smile flashed. "Piling on debt to pay off debt? Maybe I can help, soldier. Lay it on me."

For some reason, his voice dropped as though it was for her ears only. His gaze, which had never left hers, softened considerably. "It's a life for a life."

Flustered, and without a second thought, Gatomon leapt up to slug Wizardmon in the face. He managed to keep his balance despite the blow. "There! Your debt's been repaid!" she snapped, spitting on him. "You can now give your entire life to Lord Myotismon's servitude!"

The mischievous twinkle in his eye startled her. "Well, I'll have to give Lord Myotismon an IOU, then," he quipped, much to the amusement of his comrades and Phantomon.

She roughly snatched him by the collar to force him to his knees, and got in his face with blazing eyes. "I _said_ , 'Your debt's been repaid'," she hissed, fists shaking. "Find yourself a new purpose, or get the hell out of my sight before I mop the floor with your face."

She meant every word, yet it was hard to tell if Wizardmon was giving in. Even with his stitched mouth exposed, the only emotions visible were in his eyes, which shone as he saluted and exclaimed boldly, "I've never minded the taste of dirt, ma'am!"

Too stunned to do anything more, she roughly headbutted him between the eyes and moved back to face the rest of the soldiers. "Are you morons waiting for an invitation?! Ten laps around the castle perimeter before we get to the obstacle course that I prepared for you! And make it quick, you're burning sunlight!"

"Yes, ma'am!" they all shouted before hurrying over, just about shoving each other aside to be the first. Wizardmon remained the most civil, as she had expected.

Breathing heavily, Gatomon whirled around to find with displeasure Phantomon had vanished.


	7. Pity

It's a weird one today. Kinda wanted to give some of the henchmen a turn, so it turned to an omnipresent point-of-view—most likely. I still need to work on keeping perspectives consistent, lol.

* * *

"Day one... complete," Woodmon croaked out, looking ready to pass out at the table.

All six (Tuskmon was too big to enter and just collapsed outside) had dragged themselves into the mess hall the moment they were dismissed, bodies aching and appetites non-existent despite having been starved all day. As much as everyone in the castle hated each other, many of the henchmen they had passed clearly sympathized with them. It was the general consensus, after all, that Gatomon was a monster.

"This has been the worst day of my life," Vegiemon sniveled, poking at his slop for food. He was still looking green in the face, and his midsection was nothing but a nasty bruise. "I shouldn't have cheated to get a higher rank."

A Bakemon sitting behind him suddenly swerved to throttle him with a Zombie Claw. "YOU _SON_ OF A BI—shit, what happened to _you_?"

Chuumon was already drowning his sorrows. "I wish I hadn't agreed to this!" he squeaked, fuming. "Me and Sukamon are still mad over the 'shit for brains' comment!"

The Mutant Digimon sternly nodded with folded arms, scowling deeply. "I can't help it that I was born this way! Insensitive bitch!" The two simultaneously downed a swig.

"We're not gonna make it," Gizamon moaned, weakly squirming in his seat. "We're gonna die at the end of the week."

There came a rough guffaw as Dokugumon hung down from the ceiling, scanning the table. "Not all of you," she snickered, sweeping a finger around. "At least one of you will live."

"How would _you_ know? You hardly ever leave the dungeons," Woodmon muttered, eyes narrowed.

"Who's the one with eyes all over the place?" she retorted just as a KoDokugumon popped its head out of a nearby hole.

Vegiemon huffed, then winced. "I don't care who lives and who dies, I just want to _survive_." Everyone else nodded in agreement.

The giant spider let out another harsh laugh. "Considering no one's _died_ under her watch, at least not for a long time, you'll all be fine. Some of you are just going to be comatose in the infirmary." She started to drool at the thought, forcing the group to huddle at the opposite end of the table to avoid it.

Wizardmon had been silently taking in the discussions while he slowly, yet painfully ate. He was not a fan of their crude behavior, though he could at least tolerate it for as long as he had to be there. What he hated the most was speaking up in a crowd (and a crowd of barbarians at that), and much to his discomfort, a question had come to mind that he was curious about.

Taking a quick drink to soothe his sore throat, he asked his senior, "Has anyone ever successfully completed her training?"

Those who had heard him suddenly burst out laughing, almost mockingly. Dokugumon was one of them, but she at least responded, "Take a wild guess. She's one of _the_ top soldiers here, but only takes orders from Lord Myotismon."

"You're not thinking on _trying_ , are you?" Chuumon snorted. "And with you being the freshest recruit to train under her, no wonder she was so harsh to you."

"She might get her first casualty yet!" Sukamon giddily touched glasses with everyone in reach whether they had raised them in agreement or not.

"Thanks for the concern," Wizardmon dryly said, wanting to go back to his dinner in peace. "Regardless of what happens, I will see it to the end."

Vegiemon gave him an odd stare. "Your life must suck ass if this is what you're looking forward to the most."

He flexed his fingers against the glass, peering down at his blurred reflection. "If it means waking up the next day, I can take anything she throws at me."

Dokugumon snorted in disapproval, her multiple eyes gleaming. "I pity poor bastards like you," she stated, shaking her head. "You don't even have a damn clue what she's going to do to you tomorrow, yet here you are, still sitting up straight with hope in your eyes. I don't get it, she should've crushed your spirit by now. How're you still so calm?"

The mage locked with the group's stares. "Because I reached her today. I'd say this is twice now I've hit her hard heart's soft spot. Actually..." He thought on it for a moment, cracking a smile behind his cowl. "I miscounted. It's been the third time."

They all looked at each other with quizzical gazes, thinking he had gone mad.


	8. Wrecked

Not sure what to think of this one, since I'm not that great at writing choreographed fight scenes, no matter how short.

* * *

"You want us to what?"

Gatomon socked Sukamon in the face, which threw Chuumon off. "Have you gone deaf, soldier?! You are not dismissed until you land a hit on me!"

The group glanced at each other, although Wizardmon was the only one who looked neutral. He judged from the anxiety it had to have been a difficult task, if it was a thing at all. Sparring was common in training, but none of the trainers (at least the ones he had) ever got involved. One of Gatomon's biggest reputations was that she was untouchable, or at least had strong reflexes, and thus she never lost a fight, let alone had so much as a scrape. Granted, most of the rumors he had heard involved new and stupid recruits picking a random fight out of cockiness, yet there was one that said even Myotismon feared her which is why she was forbidden to look at him. If there was a grain of truth to it, it was hard to believe.

DemiDevimon was surveying them this time, and he couldn't help cackling down at them. "You bastards are going to be here all day! But that's a good thing, you'll all be toughened up for Lord Myotismon! You can thank her later!"

"Since their skulls are too thick, are you volunteering to be the example, Bat Brain?" she smirked, flexing her claws. "I just need you to do a quick run-through of this obstacle course then come swing at me."

Without even scanning the course, he immediately shut up, though he continued to sneer.

Wizardmon elicited looks when he raised a hand. "Permission to speak, ma'am!"

Her whiskers twitched as she scrunched her nose, shooting him a leer. "Permission granted for one question."

"For how long do we spar with you at the end of the course, ma'am?" The answer may have been obvious for all he knew, but he didn't see how one swing of a fist or single shot of an attack counted as sparring.

Gatomon raised a brow, but replied, "Until one of us lands a hit or gets knocked out from said-hit, of course. You fail, you go back to the beginning. It's a vicious cycle, and as my expectations for you sorry lot are very low at this point, we'll be here all day."

"You wanted an example, yes, ma'am?" Wizardmon accidentally blurted out.

As expected, she whacked him with her tail, knocking his hat askew. "I didn't grant you permission to speak!" she barked, then stepped back with a huff. "But if you want to be the first to be humiliated, fine, I'll give you that right. From all the stories I hear, you'll at _least_ be more entertaining than any of these weaklings."

The mage stepped away from his position until they faced each other several meters apart. The other henchmen and DemiDevimon watched in interest, though Vegiemon let out a scoff through his teeth and folded his vines. "Dumbass," he grunted.

Gatomon's ear flicked, and she placed her hands on her hips with a slanted chin. "Pay attention, maybe you'll actually learn something for once!" She turned back to Wizardmon with a wry smile. "Make the first move, soldier."

Tipping his hat slightly, he wasted no time rushing forward and pulling back a glowing hand to align with his head. Just before he could strike, the feline leapt up to the side to overlook his exposed back, and swung her tail to strike—

"Eh?"

Her appendage wrapped around the staff he had raised without even a glance. With a knowing gleam in his eye, Wizardmon slapped his still-glowing hand to the back of the sun where it momentarily flashed. Gatomon couldn't see what it was, nor tell if it was even physical, when a force not a second sooner slammed into her head-on, knocking her backward. She landed gracefully on her front paws to flip herself onto her feet, snapping her head up to stare wildly at the sorcerer, who appeared pleased as he straightened out his hat and looked over. She sniffed and rubbed her nose, her gaze sharpening at the blood smear on her claw.

The whole five seconds it had lasted, the group was left speechless, jaws dropped and minds blanked out. "That just happened, right?" DemiDevimon stammered, limply pointing with a talon.

Snorting a nostril clear, Gatomon growled, "That was a fluke, you didn't even complete the obstacle course!"

Wizardmon gave a bow instead of a salute, mainly to hide his mirth. "My apologies, ma'am!"

Her fur bristled and eyes blazed as she pointed to the course. "Drop your staff and get your sorry ass out there! And that goes for the rest of you deadbeats!" she yelled at the others, who shook themselves back to reality to quickly jump at the call.

After getting over his shock, the Rookie bat snickered wickedly at her flustering before she smacked him senseless out of the air and sat on him.


	9. Pride

I'll try to write a training day one of these days, I just need more time to plan one out.

* * *

The sky had gotten dark with rain clouds before Gatomon dismissed them. As they shambled away and grumbled amongst themselves, she stayed behind to fix up parts of the obstacle course that had kept getting knocked down, and got to work replacing a few with new material. She had no clear objective what she wanted for tomorrow, she tended to use the extra time with their morning run to put together things that would come to mind. There was a given chance what she was thinking of wasn't going to be finished by then, so she began planning on taking them out into some Tyrannomon or other nasty 'Mon territory and having them work their way back.

She was slow in carrying a couple of particularly wobbly poles, and her stomach growling at her only served to irritate her. If she knew she wasn't going to get in trouble leaving out a "hazardous" mess (despite the course being right on the castle boundary), she would've dropped everything long ago.

"Ugh, where are those Bakemon when you need them?" she huffed to herself.

"May I be of some assistance?"

Gatomon whirled around, nearly stumbling over and smacking Wizardmon (although she didn't care about that). How did she not hear him? "What are you doing here?" she snapped at him once she regained her composure. "You're just asking for a pummeling, aren't you?"

He quietly chuckled, a reaction she didn't expect. "I just wanted to know if you're feeling okay," he said. "I got you pretty good, wasn't sure if I had broken your nose."

She sniffed and returned back to her trudging. "I'm fine. Get out of my way."

As she walked, she realized the only footsteps she heard were her own. Deciding to glance over her shoulder, she almost jumped back to find he had kept up with her through levitation. He gave her an apologetic bow once their eyes met.

"I also wanted to give you my apologies," he stated, seemingly oblivious to her vexation. "After analyzing how I did during the training, I suppose you were right that it was a fluke. I take it I wasn't supposed to use magic from the start."

"Hell no, you weren't," she snorted, giving off vibes she wanted him far away. "Why else is it called 'sparring'?"

Wizardmon sheepishly averted his eyes. "I've never gotten into physical fights before. I've always preferred staying out of them when I could, but as magic could be used without even laying a finger on someone, I'd rely on it. Still, I could at least read body language fairly well."

"Fascinating," she muttered. "Are you done here? I'm busy, and you need to rest up. If you pass out tomorrow, I'm going to use your dead weight as a punching bag. Everyone will gladly want a turn with you."

She always meant what she said, yet he took to it lightly with a laugh. "Just so you know, since I pretty much was a klutz the rest of the time, I doubt anyone's going to be talking about how I managed to get first blood."

Gatomon shot him a leer. "You've only been here not even two weeks. What do _you_ know?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, his hat tipping forward. "Right... I'm sorry."

Not wanting to keep an eye on him any further, she resumed her work. "Unless you don't really mind being strung up, get out of my sight."

She didn't even take three strides when he whispered out, "It's been great talking with you again, Gatomon."

Dropping everything, the tiny Champion backtracked to slap him with her tail, though he stayed on his feet. "What have I told you, soldier?" she hissed, glaring daggers. "Don't you _ever_ address my name so casually."

Wizardmon defended himself. "You've got me wrong, ma'am. I address it out of respect."

Gatomon punched him in the face, then grabbed him in a headlock and twisted her body to flip him over, landing on top of him. Even with his face unmasked, he wasn't fazed. "Don't you _dare_ pull a fast one on me!" she shouted, hands pressed to his windpipe. "Have you forgotten that you're _mine_?! Just because you're breaking records doesn't mean you're above me and my orders! Learn your place, or I _will_ see to it you get deleted!"

"You're not going to do it yourself?" he immediately rasped out.

Gatomon seethed, her arms trembling as she pushed harder, only to loosen up a moment later. His eyes, although slightly watered, remained calm and never left her, a sight that baffled her. "Why don't you struggle?" she uttered dully, then raised her voice. "Why don't you beg for forgiveness, or vow never to do that again?"

He tilted his head briefly, though the movement caused her to put pressure on him again. "Is that why you're here?" he asked, voice still subdued. "You want some power to your name when you cannot even distinguish it from pride?"

She wanted to shake him or even cave his skull in. "You sold your life to Lord Myotismon! You're nothing to me! Who the hell do you think you are to tell me that?!"

"I'm someone who joined because there were reasons to." He then breathed out a chuckle. "Did you know your eye color changes shades based on your mood? For instance, when you're angry, they look like the highest, deepest point of the sky."

Gatomon gasped and jumped off of him, but still peered warily at him as he steadily picked himself up, rubbing his throat. Brushing off his hat and the staff, he turned to her as though expecting her to speak—unless he was studying her? Her tail swaying sharply and her ears swiveling to reflect her irritation, the feline straightened her stance.

"I forbid you from eating tonight," she ordered. "Tomorrow morning, you will not join us for training, I'm instead having the Bakemon take you out into the deepest part of Kuwagamon territory without your staff. While there's no time limit, you're to find your way back to the castle without any use of magic. And don't think you can get away with just a snap of the fingers or even levitation, I'll know if you do it."

It was hard to tell what emotions were running through him, but he hid them from her when he bowed. "Yes, ma'am." Putting on his hat, he walked off without another word.

Gatomon didn't realize she was trembling until his presence disappeared.


	10. Confused

I'm suddenly starting to wonder if my use of synonyms and vocabulary are being affected by this one-a-day update. I'll need to pull my thesaurus out of the pile, then, even though the online thesaurus works fine.

* * *

 _It had been a long day, and Salamon was exhausted. She still wasn't used to the corridors, and it was clear she was lost. Even if she were to pass by someone, no one was willing to help her, such was the norm in the castle. Upon turning a corner, the Rookie spotted a familiar shadow and paused in fear, wanting to back away and pretend she didn't see him._

" _How many times have I told you?" the cold voice resounded in the hall, bringing her to gasp. "Never look at me with those eyes."_

 _Unable to find her voice, all she could do was whimper and bow her head. Willing her legs to move, she turned to leave, only to receive two stripes across her back, the second strike sending her tumbling down the stone steps, stars bursting in her vision enough she thought her eyes would pop out. Once she came to a rolling stop and shook herself from her daze, a shadow fell across her face when she leered up at her approaching master, crimson whip still in hand._

 _His icy stare narrowed as he towered over her. "Even in your next stage, they're still the same," he noted bitterly. "How revolting."_

 _Before she could speak up, Myotismon smacked her aside, and the grand castle doors swung shut with a clack. Holding her paws close, she glanced down at herself to find she had grown, but didn't feel different about her strength. Turning around, the feline gaped at the outside world, the only color visible being the sky's. And without knowing why, she hated looking at it, so she dropped her gaze._

 _Laying facedown before her, also grayscale, was a dying Wizardmon, who weakly lifted his head. She became transfixed with his green irises, having never seen anything like them before, yet sensed a familiarity to them. Despite his predicament, he still managed a smile._

" _To have a piece of the sky gaze back at a cipher such as I... it's more than enough to keep on living."_

 _A gasp caught in her throat, the Champion Digimon turned her face away and pressed her paws to her ears, scrunching her eyes closed. "Shut up about my eyes! I never asked for them to look this way!" Growling in frustration, she began to dig at her face. "Just take them! Take them far away where I don't have to look at them!"_

 _She couldn't tell without opening her eyes whether it was blood or tears streaming down her face. Either way, she didn't want to know._

"Yo, what're ya staring at?"

Gatomon blinked the remains of her sleep away, realizing she had been staring off into space. Her whiskers twitched when she sniffed, her eyes glued on the grounds. "Maybe I'm watching the morning come," she muttered dryly, not bothering to turn to address her visitor.

DemiDevimon wasn't convinced. "By standing in the doorway? Yeah, right, you hate the sunrise."

"I hate everything, but that doesn't mean I can't _look_ at it whenever I want."

Hovering over her shoulder, the bat hummed. "Hey, is that Wizardmon at the gates? What's he doing? Why aren't you out there?"

She took a swipe at him. "I ordered the Bakemon to take him out to the forest."

His eyes bored into the back of her head. "You keep doing that to every recruit that pisses you off," he reminded her, much to her annoyance. "You know Lord Myotismon doesn't like that, he's going to be mad when he hears of this."

When she snorted, dust scattered and irritated her eyes. "Well _this_ time, I can convince him that he'll come back in one piece unlike the others."

"Yeah, good luck with that." As he flapped off, she heard him grumble, "I don't know why he keeps you around."

Refocusing back on the retreating Digimon, Gatomon couldn't help frowning deeply as she thought back to the dream. She had been having issues with nightmares as of late (then again, those were all she ever seemed to remember), though she couldn't tell if last night's counted. Her encounter with Wizardmon must have bothered her that much in order for it to manifest itself somehow into her dreams.

She moved to leave as the gates were closing, but hesitated when she noticed the mage glancing over his shoulder. Despite the distance, the moment their gazes met, he touched the rim of his hat, and his eyes crinkled in a smile. It confused her how in spite of his defenselessness, he went quietly with no sign he was confident nor anxious about his fate. Unless it was all an act and he just did it to toy with or humor her.

"Uh... what should I do with this, ma'am?"

Turning to tell off the Bakemon, Gatomon noticed the questioned staff leaning against the wall. She just frowned and waved her paw about. "Put it away in storage or something. We'll use it as firewood if he doesn't return in a week."

The ghost was then zapped by a streak of blue lightning just by barely touching it. A group of passing Numemon burst out laughing, causing the feline to snap at them, "If you slugs have nothing better to do, then take it to storage!"

"Which _one_?" one of them snarked, earning a succession of whooping.

" _You_ , wiseass!"

Shrugging and rolling his eyes, the slug pushed passed the Bakemon to grab the staff only to suffer the same fate. A couple more scoffed and tried as well, but it just resulted in more smoldering Numemon. The first one swerved to leer at her. "Is this some kind of prank?!"

Gatomon scowled. "Never mind, _I'll_ do it. It's not like _I_ have anything to do."

They gaped at her when she swiped the staff away and marched past them. "Wait, so it _was_ a prank?" the Bakemon asked, miffed.

"I've got better things to do than..." she hissed, her sentence trailing off when it dawned on her. She inspected the staff every which way, and even swung it about trying to shoot out a spark. "What the..."

"What's going on down here?" Phantomon demanded from behind the group, startling them into running off. He only gave them a passing glance before approaching Gatomon. "What was all the commotion about? Did you have something to do with it?"

Her fur bristled at her neck, but she maintained her glare. "I know as much as you do," she huffed, dismissing herself. "I'm going to be a moment late, have to drop this off in my room very quick."

The specter's eyes narrowed in puzzlement. "She's _never_ late, though," he mused to himself.


	11. Remorse

_Whoooooo_ fore _shadowiiiiiing_! *wave hands about then pauses* Or headcanon. Take your pick.

* * *

The sun was barely winking through the treetops before the Bakemon escorts came to a halt. "Okay, we'll leave you here," the one with a scarred eye said. "Do you know the rules?"

Wizardmon cast his eyes about for a moment before raising a brow. "Is this _really_ the farthest you can take me?"

The ghosts looked at each other anxiously. "You _sure_ you want to go farther?"

He held out his hands in a half-shrug, still puzzled by their behavior. "That was what I was told."

"He's crazy," the scarless one whispered, eyes narrowed.

With a nod, the scarred Bakemon replied, "Trust us, you _don't_ want to go in there. Now as I said, do you know what you're supposed to do?"

While he wasn't liking them waiving off the matter at hand, Wizardmon still answered, "Not to use magic whatsoever. Of course, if you were planning on leaving me _here_ , it'd be pointless to use it to go back. It's just a two hour's trek back."

The Champions stared at each other until the second one muttered to the side again, "He really _is_ a smart-ass."

The mage's expression fell in disappointment, and he folded his arms. "Tell me, when was the last time someone else was sent out here?" he pressed.

Bakemon One scratched the top of his head and turned to his companion. "Gee, it had to have been a month ago."

"Yeah, we brought him here, too."

"To this place?" Wizardmon echoed.

They nodded in unison. "Yeah, we had swiped some sake from the kitchen, and just hung out here for a while." Bakemon Two smiled like he was reminiscing the memory. "Never had to run into a single Kuwagamon, or anything."

"And how long was 'a while'?"

The ghosts looked at each other again. "Three days, I think."

"We had to report back that first evening, though," Bakemon One added, "so the one Vegiemon we had to send here said he just hung out until he got tired."

Wizardmon shouldn't have been surprised, nor bothered by the reveal the henchmen were lazy. It had been a wonder to him since he had arrived how sharply nearly everyone's productivity dropped in their alone time. "And Gatomon never suspected a thing?" he flatly guessed, knowing the answer.

The scarred one shrugged. "I don't know. We don't report to her."

The sorcerer had to mentally remind himself to remain calm and take things slow. "I take it this has gone on from the start," he sighed as his inner self began to meditate.

"No, we did it because it's impossible to run off," Bakemon Two said somberly. "If we run away, we're basically killed off for being traitors."

The quick response almost threw him off, though it brought up a curious question. "How do they determine this?"

They gestured to each other and said simultaneously, "How _else_ do we come to being?"

A chill cut through Wizardmon's insides, nearly silencing him. "You two were killed for being traitors?" he gasped out.

"I was careless enough to get caught," Bakemon One corrected, "but he deleted himself. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was just so scared of Lord Myotismon, he couldn't take it."

The scarless specter frowned, regret visible on his face. "So we serve under Phantomon now. We're still under Myotismon's rule, technically, he just doesn't order us around or even whip us. Though arguably, Phantomon's worse with his punishments."

He almost didn't get to listen when the memory of his first night at the castle came to mind. Even with the knife in hand, neither he nor Gatomon truly knew what was to be in store if any of them had gone ahead with it. Whatever the reasons may be, it was nothing more than an option. The consequences may not have ever been known, but would it had ever made a difference if it was?

Eternal slave, or temporary death—those choices ran through his mind when he had held the knife. With the newfound knowledge, he reworded it: be an eternal slave as yourself, or be an eternal slave as an undead ghost. He could feel the dread creep up just from the thought of it, a horrifying revelation. Everyone who joined had reached a dead end with no take backs, and options that were nothing more than fates worse than death.

"...why does this happen?" Wizardmon found himself stammering out, cold sweat forming on his brows. He cursed his curiosity, such was the norm with him whenever he had stumbled upon something he shouldn't have.

The Bakemon couldn't seem to read his inner torment when the scarred one explained, "If you swore loyalty to someone like Myotismon, you basically sold your soul to them. So even if you are deleted in a battle outside of the castle, you're stuck in limbo until your master comes to collect your data."

And suddenly it was as though a light flickered on in his head. Although the shock was still affecting him, the Wizard Digimon ended up cracking a smile behind his cowl. "Well... guess it's a good thing I never did."

The ghosts were taken aback. "Huh?"

"Impossible, you're part of the Nightmare Army."

He straightened his stance, a wily gleam in his eye. "You can be a part of something and not have your whole heart in it."

It was obvious the moment wasn't sinking in too deeply for them. "Why'd you join, then?" Bakemon Two questioned, brows knitted.

Reviewing the memory of a shadowed Gatomon holding out water to him, Wizardmon lifted his eyes to the sky. "I need to repay a debt whether she wants it back or not."

Bakemon One appeared to have caught on to what he meant, and even nudged his companion. "Are you talking about...?"

With a hum in his throat, the mage looked back at them and smoothed out his hat's rim. "So if you two aren't going to accompany me, I can go alone," he stated. "I have no time limit, although as long as I don't go running off, I'll be fine. Considering I'm unarmed, I don't see a point in it."

They glanced at each other again. "I'm confused, I thought you were a _smart_ -ass," the scarless one muttered in disappointment.

Wizardmon shrugged it off. "Call me whatever you want." With a nod, he strolled into the forest, an air of certainty about him.

The Bakemon watched him go in stunned silence until the second one shook it off to scowl and cross his sleeves. "I don't like that guy. He's too serious."

The first could only sigh in indifference. "Well, we warned him. If he wants to get killed, whatever. We'll make fun of him when he's one of us."

The two specters then left without another word.


	12. Without

Another "meh" one, but hey, henchmen need their time to shine, too.

* * *

Tuskmon was the first to notice something was amiss. "Hey, that Wizardmon fellow's not here."

Vegiemon "tch"ed and waved a vine, a toothy smirk flashing on his face. "Forget _him_ , Major Bitch is a no-show."

An abrupt scream from Gizamon startled everyone as he grabbed his head and quaked in place. " _Holy shit, no!_ "

The two Vegetation Digimon shot each other confused glances. "This is a _good_ thing," Woodmon assured him matter-of-factly. "Don't tell me you actually _like_ her?"

The sea animal cringed. "Ew, not _that_! I just lost a bet! My roommate had put down the night before training started that she wouldn't last a week with us. So her not being here would mean she gave up!"

"It's still too early to tell—"

"I don't _want_ to clean the dungeons!" he wailed, looking ready to curl in on himself.

They were all nearly speechless watching him break down, although the sight was humorous enough for the corners of their mouths to twitch. Vegiemon then cleared his throat and puffed his chest out. "Well, if she's not going to show, might as well sit back and relax for once. Good thing, too, I don't think I can last another run."

Sukamon and Chuumon were already resting up against the closest sturdy object, picking their teeth. "Chuumon and I talked about ditching this training if she smacks at us again," the mutant said, looking over at the unamused group. "We've come to appreciate Nanimon, at least he can't throw a decent punch."

"He's pretty cool once you get to know him," the pink mouse added, throwing his arms behind his head. "Might actually go back to him now that we think about it."

The surrounding air suddenly chilled over before the recent arrival gave his insight. "If you all have the energy to chat, you should be out running."

For a split second out of habit, they all gave a salute only to shake off their shock. Since none of them were under Phantomon's jurisdiction, they didn't have to act so formal around him, though him brandishing his scythe still kept them cautious.

"What're you doing here?" Vegiemon snorted out.

One of the blue eyes squinted slightly. "I come watch her train every now and then."

He then rubbed his head at a spark of remembrance. "Oh yeah, I forgot."

"Of course you did." He addressed the group as a whole, "The major's running late this morning, but she'll be here soon."

Gizamon threw his fins up into the air. "Fuck yeah, I'm safe!"

The specter took it out of context. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled that someone other than Wizardmon is enjoying her training."

Tuskmon in the back then piped up, "Random question, but he got sent into the forest, I take it?"

"The Bakemon sent him out this morning."

Neither one of them were surprised by the news. "That's probably like a bonus to him or something," Woodmon commented with a roll of the eyes.

"You know, what's _with_ him, anyway?" Vegiemon asked. "I've been here a year now, and I've never seen anyone like him."

"I don't like him, he's just not right," Sukamon said, Chuumon nodding in agreement.

"He's at least less annoying than those two weirdos of DemiDevimon's," Gizamon grunted.

Phantomon let out a disgruntled sigh, leaning on his scythe. "Have to give the little rat with wings credit, though, he's kept them in line _so_ far. I'd have otherwise lopped off the Pumpkinmon's head long ago."

"Speaking of heads, they're going to start rolling if you don't all get your asses up and running!"

Everyone but the Ultimate perked up at Gatomon's holler as she trudged over the hill, her typical scowl on her face. Instantly, they all raced past her, though she booted down Sukamon and Chuumon for being behind. Paws at her hips, she faced the Ghost Digimon, who just shrugged indifferently with a hidden grin.

"I expect this isn't going to become a regular occurrence." It wasn't so much of a question as it was an observance.

The feline just leered at him and went to work on the obstacle course, still considering sending them out to the Tyrannomon so she wouldn't have to deal with them for a day.


	13. Zest

I had plans to have Gatomon's perspective come in at the end, but it's getting late and I kinda procrastinated writing this part. So that can be its own separate entry.

* * *

DemiDevimon didn't do much on days he had nothing to do. He would've liked to have gone out on more reconnaissance missions, however, it was done in pairs, and usually by those of similar ranking. He couldn't stand just about everyone in the castle, seeing them all as competition for the master's approval (when they weren't being imbeciles), but he particularly had it out for Gatomon ever since she had first arrived. And unfortunately for him, they were typically paired up together on missions, if only because at least they got things done on equal measures.

So when Myotismon fetched for him, he was both ecstatic and afraid of what was going to befall him. On his way to the study, he did start thinking something was up as the dark lord was usually in his coffin by this time, or at least was deep underground in another chamber. There had to have been some important matters to discuss, it was the only other explanation for why he was still awake.

Timidly entering the room, DemiDevimon hugged the floor as he announced himself, "You wished to see me, Lord Myotismon?"

Candlelight was the only light source, and a long shadow moving across made his hair stand on end. Sovereigns, he could never get used to that. "I needed a confirmation," Myotismon explained, his tone oddly calm. "I'd ask Gatomon herself, but she's in the middle of training."

"Oh, are you talking about _that_ again?" the Rookie blurted out, catching himself too late. It was one of the few moments where he regretted ever having a big mouth.

The cold gaze peered over at him. "It depends on if we're on the same page as to what 'that' is."

DemiDevimon grinned nervously. "Eh heh, well, you've always hated it whenever she would send out a recruit to some nasty territory as punishment without your permission."

He could just see the vampire's eyes narrow. "That wasn't what I had on my mind at all, but now you have my interest."

It felt like he had dodged a Grisly Wing at that moment. "What was the other one, sir?"

"Never mind that, did she do it again?" Myotismon snapped.

"Yes'sir, the Bakemon took him into the forest this morning."

The swish of the cape nearly extinguished the candles. "Hmph. Well then, send her here."

The bat's wings twitched. "Right now?"

"In a heartbeat."

"You don't have a heart, sir," he playfully joked, hoping he would catch it.

"Do you want to take her place?"

Quickly backpedaling, he swiftly saluted. "Right away, Lord Myotismon!" A smirk flashed on his face the moment he exited, biting back a gleeful chuckle. He decided to fly out a window as a shortcut (but had to circle around realizing he went the wrong way), and flapped as hard and fast as he could.

He was nearly out of breath when he reached the course. Gatomon saw him coming over, but paid him no heed to holler at Woodmon when he tripped. "If you're going to be a klutz and fall over, then don't make a sound!"

It was a stealth course today. A little crudely put together, but considering she usually set them up herself and with little resources, it was to be expected. If her irritated expression was spot-on, things weren't going so well.

But he wasn't there to observe, amusing as it might've been. "Hey, Fleabag, Lord Myotismon's calling for ya!" he called out, daring to inch over.

"Tell him I'm busy!" she barked, not bothering to look at him. "I'll see him when I'm done."

It figured she'd try to get out of it. "He knows that, that's why he wants you immediately!"

The feline shot a glare at him. "What did you tell him _this_ time?"

He put a wing under his chin in mock thought. "Let's just say I never tell a lie to the master!"

She seethed as a small string of "ooh"s sounded from the passing Vegiemon and Sukamon. She raised a balled fist to pound him out of the air when the blunt end of Phantomon's scythe smacked it down.

"I got this under control," he said, a gleam in his eye. "Can't keep the master waiting."

Leering between the two, Gatomon huffed and stormed for the castle, her tail whipping wildly behind her. DemiDevimon cackled under his breath, feeling like rubbing his ratty wings together. "She's gonna get it."

The specter only hummed in disinterest before turning his weapon on the slowing Digimon. "Did I _say_ to stop?"


	14. Questions

Today's prompt was fueled by the lovely _Higurashi no Naku Koro ni_ soundtrack, and remnant chills from too much ice cream.

* * *

Gatomon was beginning to lose her cool when she stopped before Myotismon's chambers. She had a feeling it was about her sending Wizardmon away, even though she had her reasons, and he couldn't argue with the fact no one had been killed in a long time. (Although she knew she would have been skinned alive if that had ever been the case, she had always found it suspicious they all would return without so much as a scratch.) She figured if he was lenient enough this time around, he would force her to go retrieve him, and that at least shouldn't take more than half-a-day to do if her calculations were correct.

Still, she prepared herself for the worst when she rapped on the door. "It's Gatomon, my Lord," she announced.

"Enter."

She shuddered for a brief moment. It was just one simple word, and yet she couldn't detect his emotion; that was never a good sign. Taking a deep breath, Gatomon stepped in and quickly fell to a knee, dropping her head. "You wished to see me?"

"Shut the door."

Not good. She pushed it closed with her tail, her ear twitching at the sound of a lock. Now that she was alone in the same room as him, the atmosphere momentarily became suffocating and freezing. She fought back the advancing shudders, wanting to be as neutral as she could so she could leave quickly.

Though she could feel his eyes on her, he was still. No clacking of the boots nor rustling of the cape, he possibly wasn't even breathing. It was almost maddening she hadn't an inkling of what he was thinking of.

"I've been hearing the most peculiar of rumors this past week," his voice pierced the silence, a precise tone that struck her deep in her core. "There's a soldier who's been climbing the ranks at an alarming pace, beating 'records', and bypassing my best trainers. They're also saying you're swiftly becoming out-ranked."

Gatomon was very familiar with all of those rumors, and she _still_ didn't believe in them. "Are you requesting I should look into it, Lord Myotismon?"

"No need, although I'd like some confirmation on my questions." It was like a breeze, but a disturbance in the air indicated he moved across the room. "Do you happen to know who this soldier is?"

"Yes'sir. His name is Wizardmon."

"He was among the new recruits you and DemiDevimon brought back, scarcely two weeks ago."

"Yes'sir, that's correct."

Myotismon let out a slight chuckle. "I remember him well. Did you say that night he was yours?"

The white cat felt her doubts slowly melting away, but she still kept her guard up. She didn't know when or what it would be, she just knew that one damning question was just on the tip of his tongue. "He's under my jurisdiction, my Lord."

"How did you recruit such a fine soldier?"

Gatomon reviewed their meeting, unsure how Myotismon would take to it. He might laugh over the coincidental nature of it and call it ridiculous, for there would be no possible way a strong Digimon such as he would have needed help. More likely, though, he might sneer at it, and call her weak for showing pity even if it was what brought Wizardmon to their side. Or he could just be indifferent to it and may not want such details.

Knowing she had been silent a few seconds too long, she replied carefully but still truthfully, "He approached us willingly, sir. I never tested out his strength when I assessed him, I hired him for his knowledge on the land. I must confess, Lord Myotismon, that this is news to me as well. I was a fool to overlook such great talent." She bowed on all fours for good measure.

"You've always had an eye for strength, Gatomon." There was the hint of a smile in Myotismon's voice, albeit it was more of a smirk.

Nevertheless, the compliment brought out a small one on her lips as well. "I am honored, sir."

He must have had his cape wrapped around him until that moment. "Now, where is Wizardmon?" It struck her hard and fast enough she barely caught onto his next sentence. "I wish to be properly introduced to him, and if he pleases me, I may forgive his insolent first impression."

And suddenly, Gatomon felt like her throat was being squeezed. "He's training, sir," she responded, hoping she didn't sound choked.

It was hard to tell if he had noticed since she didn't feel his gaze. She was never allowed to look at him directly, so she had to go with her senses and gut feeling to determine his mood. Unfortunately, Undead Digimon were skilled stoics, and would "develop" emotions at the drop of a hat.

"Then bring him here," he ordered, sounding calm but probably wasn't.

If she was more cunning enough, Gatomon could have developed excuses for why Wizardmon was unavailable, or even find a way to reschedule the meeting. However, her loyalty to Myotismon kept her from flat-out fibbing, and she was being driven too far into a corner to dodge around it. It wasn't helped that her voice was now betraying her.

"He's training in the Kuwagamon territory, Lord Myotismon. I sent him out this morning."

The room grew deathly still that she could hear the blood rushing in her head. She tried in vain to steady her breathing and stance, and even hold back her thoughts of doom to maintain an illusion of tranquility. Her eyes, which had remained focused on the floor her whole stay, were now wavering enough she couldn't help wincing and gasping when she spotted his boots mere centimeters away. Myotismon's aura at that moment dripped over her shoulders, chilling her to the bone.

"You disobeyed my orders."

The dark lord was never known for being disappointed. It was a joke amongst the henchman that he was unable to convey such an emotion because it was too "middle-of-the-road" for him. He was either "pleased" or "furious".

She immediately pressed her forehead to the floor, a shorthand for mercy. "S-Sir, that was a fluke! All the other soldiers afterwards survived it!"

"And how much stronger are they _now_?"

She curled up tighter. "I-I can explain, Lord Myotismon!"

Gatomon yowled when the side of his boot slammed into her ribs, sending her flying off to the side. She twisted herself onto her feet at the last second, landing on all fours and making the mistake to look up, cursing her acute vision. The shadow splitting across his face further accentuated his steely leer, sharpening further when his Crimson Lightning materialized in his fist.

"I have no need for excuses!" he bellowed, swinging the first lash. Ducking her head to shield her face, she gritted her teeth to hold back any screams threatening to rip out of her throat. Whenever he emphasized a word, she was struck across the back. "I need _results_!I need _soldiers_! Dead and weak soldiers are of _no_ _use_ to me! The penalty is all on _you_ for each soldier that fails or dies under _your_ command!"

Beaten to her knees, Gatomon shakily bowed the lowest she could go. "I-I understand, my Lord," she whimpered. "I will lessen my training if you wish."

The whip was still in his clutches, but he held it back when he stepped forward and planted his boot to the back of her head. "No, keep doing what you're good at," he said, malice still present. "I _am_ , however, becoming impatient by the lack of good soldiers. Having them sent away or in a coma in the infirmary is a sign you're not working hard enough."

The feline squeezed her eyes shut when he picked her up by the scruff, her ears flat against her cranium. He lowered his tone of voice as if to sound more gentlemanly, or merciful. "So, Gatomon, if you manage to bring me one good soldier from your training by the next moon, I will not strip you of your status. Have I made myself clear?"

She nodded, turning her head slightly before saluting. "Crystal, sir."

He flung her to the direction of the door which she clung to when it unlocked. "You are dismissed. And _never_ look at me again."

With another bow, Gatomon hurriedly slipped out, and then leaned up against the wall, hissing at the stings to her back and feeling the blood sticking to her fur. " _Shit._ "


	15. Holding

Well then, guess I put down a dual-perspective after all.

* * *

"Hmm... I've either made a wrong turn, or I've gone too far."

Wizardmon had been on his own for a few hours away from the castle boundaries, but his location was more-or-less a guess at this point. He had forgotten to ask the Bakemon for pointers before he left, although he doubted they knew where to go, and his map could only make rough estimates. All he could gather was the sunlight was stronger, the woods had become more flush, and there was a mountain range a few kilometers away from his position (which he couldn't find on the map).

Climbing the tree to the highest point he could manage, the mage continued to scan the landscape with his portable telescope. "This map is scarcely five years old," he muttered to himself, squinting past some haze. "The Digital World can't be changing _that_ quickly."

He hit a eureka moment when he recognized to the northwest (no, southeast, he was turned around) the faint border of a large lake on the horizon. Spinning around to face north, he peered over at the castle stationed by the tail end of the mountain range that wasn't jagged. It unnerved him how the range was unnaturally dark, as though signifying Myotismon's rule over the land, and though the clouds swirled about in place, it was slowly spreading.

Frowning, Wizardmon dropped his eyes to the map in hand, and searched for lakes and any marked mountain ranges. "Server Continent's such in a bad spot," he mused, pressing his fingers to any listed lakes he could find. "I can only imagine how the rest of the world's adapting to the constant shockwaves it keeps emitting."

He narrowed it down to two lakes: one near the desert, and the other up north. If he had to pick, the former was the closest for how enclosed it looked. "Such an interesting spot for a castle. Not secluded, but not easy to reach. It's almost as if something important was being kept here."

After coordinating the lake's direction, the Champion eased his way down and resumed his trek. If he timed it right, he should make it to the lakeshore by late afternoon, and he'll make his next move from there. It was a shame he was forbidden to fly, but orders were orders. If he had to forgo sleep for as long as it took to get to his destination, so be it.

* * *

Gatomon endured the rest of the day by getting more angry and more creative with her insults, not once moving from her place on the sidelines until the last soldier left the course. With exception of Phantomon and DemiDevimon (before she ordered him away), none of them knew of her shoddily-patched wounds, and she wanted to keep it that way. Unfortunately, her walk through the corridors revealed her punishment to all eyes, forcing her to pretend they were insignificant and that she couldn't feel a thing.

It was only after she holed herself up in her room for the night did she yield to the pain, hissing and cursing as she treated herself more properly the best she could. "This better not leave behind scars," she grumbled past gritted teeth, eying her reflection as she looped the long, stiff bandage wrap around herself.

As she secured the last of it just below her armpits, the feline noticed in the mirror the sun staff had fallen over in its corner. She had forgotten all about it, but just looking at it reminded her of why Myotismon had punished her. Sniffing, she stood and went over to pick it up, finding it odd how light it felt in her paws even though it had to be made from wood. She inspected its craftsmanship, at how smooth the sun's edges were and that the "hole" had a different texture and no surface to speak of. Turning it about in the moonlight didn't even reveal if it was cut into the wood or if it was added on, it was just blackness. The staff itself was crooked, and had to have been held together by tape, though no matter how much she picked at it, it wasn't tearing off.

"It's nothing but a dead tree," Gatomon mumbled, rapping her knuckles on the back of it. "How does he work this thing?"

Then she remembered how it shocked the Bakemon and Numemon that morning just by them attempting to pick it up. She stared at it, almost expecting it to turn on her at a moment's notice, but the staff remained dormant. Even swinging it about brought out nothing, and a thought about smashing it against the wall or floor came to mind. Perhaps it would shatter, or it would just make noise.

With a click of the tongue, Gatomon decided to just set it aside, wanting to get to bed. "Whatever, it'll be mine to do with in a week." She crawled into her thin covers to lay on her stomach, facing away from the door. As her tail swayed into view, she blinked up at the gentle glow the ring was giving off. "Odd... it doesn't do that unless I will it to..."

The tiny Champion was about to drift off to sleep when her ears perked up at a soft hum, and she glanced over her shoulder to find the sun's dark middle steadily pulsating a light blue.


	16. Worthless

Yeah not gonna lie that I'm just stalling at this point. Gotta give the illusion of _some_ time passing while giving others screentime, and also because I have certain prompts planned as specific chapters. Soooo if you wanna call these specific chapters filler, go right ahead. I sure as hell can't tell.

* * *

As the castle never slept, its inhabitants were quick to adapt to noise whether it was of boisterous guffaws or tortured screams, running around or knocking things over, even brawls and other lesser scuffles had broken out within the walls. Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon had not noticed it was a common occurrence, but they had embraced the vast free space since the night they had arrived, and thus constantly bounced off the walls. They weren't very popular amongst their brethren for their more childish behavior, yet they didn't care because they had each other.

They should have turned in some time ago instead of messing around on the bottom floor and causing a ruckus (after they were kicked out from the top floors). It was "cop and robber" this time around, and Pumpkinmon was the trigger-happy robber. The henchmen that were still up and about braced themselves for the inevitable, as the two tended to play things more "seriously". After catching wind of their current game, they went on their guard to protect anything of value they had on them (even if they were to be given back later on, the two were at least nice enough to do that), and shielded themselves with anything sturdy as rooms and hallways hailed with rocks and flaming pumpkin bits.

DemiDevimon was _not_ happy when he arrived to the lobby in time to get a mouthful of burning squash and choke on a seed. "If you two are going to be jackasses, go outside!" he gasped out once he could breathe, his stocking cap askew on his head.

The pair of bouncing Digimon only gave each other mischievous smirks. "We don't know about this 'Jack Ass'," Gotsumon started, slyly.

"But we _do_ know of a 'Jack O'Lantern'," Pumpkinmon finished, eyes squinting in mirth.

"I don't care if you know 'Jack Shit', take it outside!" The bat's expression then blanked out when the two gleefully cheered and applauded. "I should've seen that coming," he muttered to himself.

"You know, we're in dire need of a wingman," the Puppet Digimon brought up. "Think you're up for the job, sir?"

"I'm not in the mood to put up with your little jokes!" DemiDevimon snapped. "Just get out of my sight! _After_ you clean up this mess!" he quickly added as they turned to leave.

It was then the doors opened enough for two Bakemon to sneak in, only for them to freeze for a brief moment when they spotted the Rookie. "Oh, phew, you're not Phantomon," the one with the scar sighed.

"What're you two doing sneaking in here?" he asked suspiciously. "What's the point in that, anyway? You could've just phased through the door, no problem."

The specters stared and looked as if they were wavering in place. "I totally forgot about that," the other mumbled after a few moments, lifting an arm to scratch his head.

An empty bottle right then slipped out and smashed on the ground.

All eyes were fixated on the mess including a few hiding Digimon, an awkward silence filling the air. The dingy ball at the end of DemiDevimon's hat limped directly in his line-of-sight, though he looked past it to leer at the ghosts. "Drinking on the job, eh?"

"No-no-no, it was confiscated from the Wizardmon we took!" Bakemon One hurriedly exclaimed, roughly nudging his companion in the side.

Once shaken enough from his shock, he nodded vigorously. "Yeah-yeah, but because we couldn't do anything outside of what we were told, we, er, took it and were bringing it back!"

Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon had by then slipped away for upstairs, but hardly any of them noticed. "So where's the liquor?" the Evil Digimon pressed, pointing with a talon.

"It was already drinkened."

"'Drunken'," Bakemon One hissed.

"You two _do_ realize I can't do a thing to you anyway, right?"

"But Phantomon could be anywhere!" the first still said in a hushed tone. "Even Major Bitch will get pissed when she hears of what happened!"

"She's already paid for it," Phantomon coolly said from behind them.

The specters' shrieking nearly gave all but the Ultimate in the room a heart attack, and they fell to the ground to bow. "We're sorry, master!" they wailed in unison.

He remained static, but motioned for them to sit up. "What is all this about?" he inquired, glancing between them and over at DemiDevimon.

The Rookie snorted. "Don't look at me, I can't make head or tails of this."

Non-existent noses dripping, they lifted their heads, and Bakemon Two babbled, "The crazy 'Mon took it seriously, and we're going to lose our heads!"

A blue eye narrowed. "Why? That was what Gatomon had ordered."

"But we were supposed to take him all the way!" the scarred Bakemon gave his part, less shakily than his partner. "He left on his own after we stopped by the outskirts, and so we just hung out until nightfall to pretend we took all day!"

No one was surprised by the confession. "Guess that wizard fellow's got it in him," DemiDevimon huffed, although he hated to admit it.

The still-trembling ghosts peered up at their leader, confused by his calm demeanor. "Aren't you mad or anything?"

"About all of this?" Phantomon just half-heartedly shrugged. "No, we've known of what you two have done with the other recruits from the start. We just didn't have evidence of your swiping from the kitchen until now. We pinned it all on Nanimon as a fill-in suspect."

"Oh, shit, is that what this is about?" the scarless Bakemon whimpered.

The phantom tilted his head up to gaze down at them. "We don't give a damn what happens to Wizardmon. It'd be a loss to us if he dies as he's been proving himself a worthy henchmen, but he's none of _our_ business. Unless he _does_ die, then it just means I'll have another moron to look after."

Although his tone had fallen to harsh levels, the pair had stopped their sniveling. "So, uh," the second cautiously spoke up, "does this mean we're not in _big_ trouble?"

The grin briefly flashed under the hood. "You still stole from the kitchen. I have to punish you for that."

Although crestfallen, the Bakemon yielded and let Phantomon lead them away. Like with the other Digimon, DemiDevimon, who had gotten bored when he realized it wasn't his call to make, left with a yawn to go back to his room. He foolishly had his guard down when he got another face full of flaming pumpkin along with a rock to the temple.

"Retreat!" And Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon fled the scene, leaving the bat to weakly curse after them before he blacked out. But not before he remembered for that brief instant the lobby was still a mess.

"...d... dammit..."


	17. Degraded

'Kaaaaaay, there was this one paragraph that I broke up, but I don't know if I did it right.

* * *

All eyes were on Gatomon as the group approached the field after their morning run, gawking at the bandage wrap around her. Even though punishments weren't uncommon, most henchmen got it more than others. With her reputation, it was a little rare to see her in such a state, although as Vegiemon had relayed to the more newer recruits, it was most likely because she had never gotten "caught" during her training duties. She usually kept to herself, otherwise.

Once all five were lined up, she let out a quick "hmph" as she peered over her shoulder with a bored look. "I'm not one to complain, but my back's stiff as hell today, and as you can see, I've done nothing," she explained, slightly bitter. "So today, I've decided you should all go out and wrangle with some Digimon, preferably big ones like Tyrannomon, Monochromon, maybe an Ultimate or two for good measure. I'm not looking for strategy or swift defeats at the moment, although you _should_ defeat no less than three—no, five before you finish for the day, or even week."

Only Tuskmon was eager about the news, his smaller comrades just glanced at each other nervously. "Basically, you're sending all of us to fend for ourselves," Gizamon muttered, sweat developing on his temple.

"You got a problem with that, soldier?" she snapped, shooting a glare.

"W-Well... isn't it a little _too_ soon? ...Erm, m'am?"

His metaphorical death knell rang when Gatomon slammed her heel to the back of his head. "What did you think this army was created for?" she jeered. "You only got lucky living this long because the other trainers babied you. They kept you within castle walls and only gave you the basics, never going over."

The feline punted Gizamon off to the side before moving to Sukamon and Chuumon, who tried to steady their quivering by standing straight just to get knocked down by a sweep of the tail. "Lord Myotismon wants strong, able soldiers at the ready, and yet we got instead lazy slobs like you," she continued, eyes narrowing as she moved down the line.

"Then there are the yellow-bellied bastards who run at the mere thought of fighting." She flashed her claws in front of Vegiemon, who only proved her point by flinching away from them until she punched him in the gut.

"As well as those who claim to be steadfast and willing to serve the master, but will switch sides in a heartbeat." The moment their gazes met, Woodmon found himself wobbling and growing lost in a daze until he collapsed.

"The few times someone strong _does_ come around, they get cocky of their strength and then take down others with them." She swiped at Tuskmon's snout and examined her bloodied claws. "And don't get me started on just how incompetent those claiming to be better are. Time and again, they fall to their fiery, screaming deaths, and they _still_ look down upon everyone else."

Wheeling around, Gatomon jutted her chin out. "My job is to beat and train all of this out of you. This was how I was taught and raised, and thus it's how I pass my knowledge on. You all agreed to this when you joined, don't pretend we lied to you. We explicitly said we were looking for _solders_ to form an _army_ , a _lifetime servitude_ for Lord Myotismon. How this escapes the lot of you baffles me, but as I look at such a sorry group, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised."

Their stances and auras had changed before her eyes. She was used to such transitions, such looks of hatred. She had roughly recited the same speech whenever it called for it, and it never failed to produce the same results as it all sank in. It was what Myotismon looked for, but it was too bad it would all come crashing down at the end. Gatomon had learned not to get her hopes up and to pretend she never noticed so she wouldn't slip herself.

"With that said," she concluded, "if any of you morons die during any of these fights today, don't bother crossing my path once you reconfigure. If you do, I _will_ kick your ass from here to whenever you wake up again, next week or next life or whatever. Have I made myself clear, soldiers?"

Still with the same piercing stare, all five straightened to give a salute, and hollered, "Yes, ma'am!"

Sternly nodding, she turned her back on them and led the march toward the castle boundary.


	18. Inspiration

Possibly rushed, but meh.

* * *

Even with the two of them working all night, the Bakemon weren't yet finished cleaning the dungeons. Phantomon had expected it, which was why he hardly supervised them the entire time. (Although that might've helped contribute to it, who knows if they had snuck a wink or even a trip to the kitchen when he wasn't looking.) Dokugumon would have kept a close eye on them if she wasn't so bound to her duty of guarding the _entire_ castle, but she still dropped by.

He heard her crawling in the shadows before he saw her. "I _do_ appreciate the extra hands," she began, barely giving the nearest Bakemon a glance, "but I have enough on me, so you can dismiss them."

The specter suspiciously peered over. "So explain why it is the dungeons are always a mess?"

Dokugumon sneered back. "None of your beeswax."

"Is there anything you came to tell me?"

"My wandering eyes have informed me that Gatomon's taking the lot out into the forest."

Phantomon rolled his eyes as he slumped against his scythe. "She never learns," he scoffed. "She must like Myotismon's punishments."

"Even if he caught wind of this one, since she's taking them _herself_ , she'll probably get off the hook this time." The Insectoid Digimon patted a KoDokugumon that nestled in her mane, then turned to leave only to look back at him with a glint in her eyes. "You know, _you_ could train some recruits," she pointed out matter-of-factly. "So why _don't_ you?"

He immediately gestured to the Bakemon (a slight movement that got the scarless one jittered up to scrub the walls faster). "I already have my hands full."

Though nearly impossible with her anatomy, Dokugumon had a hint of a curled smirk on her face as she leaned in closer. "But consider the possible fact of Gatomon being demoted, if not out-right killed." The word got him to blink, suddenly interested. " _Someone's_ going to have to train them, and the only other candidate capable of this form of training is you." Then the spider backed up and gave a half-hearted shrug. "But, alas, you'd have to rank up first to take her place. Though that shouldn't be too hard for you, _Lieutenant_."

Fiddling with his scythe, Phantomon looked over. It was always hard to tell if she could see at the corner of her many eyes, however, from the way they still gleamed, Dokugumon was watching him carefully. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

She snickered. "Well, I'm not the most _subtle_ Digimon here, now am I?" With one of her legs, she lightly nudged him over to the exit. "I can take over from here. Go work your magic."

He hesitated for a long moment, knowing full well a premeditated killing was punishable by death, even if that wasn't what Dokugumon had on her mind. The thought of sabotage had the best potential, as he could easily provoke a Digimon to go on a rampage that would even give Gatomon some trouble. If enough of the recruits were injured or even knocked into a coma, he knew it was going to result in her demotion (it wouldn't be serious enough she'd be executed—even then, he'd be the one to perform it).

It was then he remembered a face and immediately hatched an idea. "Two birds with one stone, eh?" he whispered to himself, shouldering his scythe and grinning behind his hood as he left the dungeons.


	19. Dealing

Next chapter's probably going to be long, depends on how much I plan to do.

* * *

" _Hey-hey-hey_ , stop splashing each other and keep scrubbing!"

Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon pouted and reluctantly returned to their cleaning, while DemiDevimon watched irritably from atop a statue. He kept a sharp eye on them, doing his damnedest to not look away lest they would start goofing off. After he had regained consciousness, it took him well into the wee hours of the morning to chase them down, catch them, and force them to clean their mess (even though he could've gotten the Bakemon to do it in their place). Far as he knew, Myotismon hadn't stepped into the lobby in between that time, though he had fabricated a story he was sure would save his hide.

Gotsumon was by the window when he glanced outside. "Hey, doesn't Phantomon stay inside at this time?" he asked, more towards Pumpkinmon. The bat blinked, suddenly curious about what he heard.

The Puppet Digimon paused to look over. "I dunno, I don't talk to the guy. Why?"

"Well, he's outside of the gate."

"Enough chit-chat, get back to work!" DemiDevimon ordered, then checked it out for himself.

Indeed, he could see the glint of the scythe before the specter vanished into the fog. It _was_ a little odd of him to be heading out so far at this time, although it wasn't unheard of for him to leave on impromptu assignments. He might have been sent out to collect someone, though the only other soldier he could think of was Wizardmon. Perhaps something happened?

No, that couldn't have been it, not _this_ soon. Peering more outside suspiciously, the Rookie opened the doors for a better look over at where Gatomon's training usually took place. "She did it again," he snorted, corner of his mouth twitching. "She must've lost it."

"Is Major Bitch gone?" Pumpkinmon inquired from behind, coming over to check as well.

DemiDevimon hurriedly shooed him back inside. "Clean that statue spotless until I get back!" he hissed without another thought, then followed after Phantomon, trying to be as stealthy as possible.

The Ghost Digimon was a slippery devil, always pulling ahead or suddenly disappearing into the fog each time there was a breeze. He didn't want to call for him to stop due to the region being susceptible to echoes, but he also didn't want to get near him. Phantomon was a hard Digimon to read, so his actions were unpredictable, and he didn't want to accidentally get caught in it.

"If you want to join in, DemiDevimon, you may."

Shit, he forgot how perceptive he was to presences.

Quickly, he thought of an excuse for his pursuit. "Wha-uh, no, I was just wondering what you were doing out here for."

The blue eyes pierced through the fog (which was a little thinner this far out), clearly seeing through the fib. "If you're interested, I need you to do something for me."

DemiDevimon raised a brow from the serious tone before he smirked. "I'm listening."

Phantomon wasted no time in giving his request. "I need you to get rid of Wizardmon."

For a brief moment, he was taken aback, feeling a fleeting, but cold flutter in his core. "You mean..." And he mimed slicing a talon under his chin.

"Well, if you want to _call_ it that," the wraith humored him, a chuckle at the tip of his tongue. "But more precisely, he needs to be kept away from these parts for a while. Lure him someplace far, lead him in a circle, I don't care. It's just until the sun goes down."

Although he hadn't the slightest clue what was going on underneath that hood, DemiDevimon squirmed in anticipation as he gave a salute. "Right away, sir!" After righting himself, he made the motion to leave just to hesitate to question, "Er... does anyone else know of this?"

Phantomon slyly glanced away. "They'll find out eventually," he purred, his voice dropped to a deathly whisper. "Oh, and don't be seen," he added in his normal tone, but still with the hint of a smile to it.

Nodding, the bat giggled to himself as he darted for the treetops. It had been a while since he last was able to be his devious, nasty self, but already he was cooking up some schemes.


	20. Goosebumps

I didn't want to split it into two parts, but I kinda felt like it. _Soooo..._ I don't like action scenes.

* * *

Much to DemiDevimon's annoyance, it took a little bit to track Wizardmon down, and once he did, the little mage was walking along the lakeside, taking the long way around. It was the only thing he found intriguing, wondering why he wasn't _on_ the lake itself when that could take less time than on foot. Perhaps he was planning on using the foliage as some form of camouflage, or quick escape when needed. Maybe he couldn't swim—most Digimon never learned how to if they weren't frequently around water. Or he was taking his time and just wanted to walk along without a care.

It was hard to get a good reading on him when his face was always obscured.

The bat kept to the trees, looking ahead to see where and when would be a good time to carry out his plan. He'd like to switch around a sign post, or put down his own as "hazard warning" to turn him around into a trap (until he came up with something better), however, he hadn't brought supplies to construct anything. Even if he had, when DemiDevimon checked up on Wizardmon, he was irked to find a map in his hands.

"I didn't know what I was expecting," he grumbled to himself, almost in a pout. This was going to be a little bit more difficult. He itched to pull out his Demi Darts, but he would only use them if he was ever driven to a corner.

Going a little further, the Rookie jumped when he nearly flew into a passing green Digimon. Double-taking after he dove into the leaves, a toothy smirk spread on his face from the luck. "A Snimon, eh?"

Guess he got the chance to use them after all.

Quietly chuckling to himself, DemiDevimon pulled out a couple of darts and swooped in a little closer, but still not in the line-of-sight. "Alright, Dem, don't stick it," he recited under his breath. "Just catch its attention in _his_ direction."

Leaning to the side, he tossed one and the other with enough strength for them to zip over. The first bounced off one of the coils on the thorax while the other struck down the middle where it sunk in—which made him curse. Snimon let out a shrill hiss and wheeled around, though the bat had hid behind a tree after he had thrown his attack. Looking behind him, he was glad to see Wizardmon was in plain view, still oblivious to his surroundings.

"Hmm, I'm probably better off heading for the desert," the sorcerer sighed to himself, lips curled to a side in second thought. Glancing over to the lake, he scoffed slightly in mirth, folding the map to tuck it away. "I wonder if flying to get _there_ would be considered cheating."

There suddenly was a shriek, and Wizardmon turned in time to find a large Digimon swiftly darting towards him, a scythed limb raised to strike. He quickly dove out of the way when it swung, rolling onto his feet and facing his attacker with orbs forming in his palms. The mantis unstuck its forelimbs from the rock to spin around, antennae twitching as it buzzed angrily.

 _Such odd behavior,_ the Wizard Digimon mentally took notice, poising to dodge again. _Normally, Snimon don't attack unless provoked._

"Twin Sickles!"

Wizardmon raised his hands before him the moment a pair of crescent beams shot out, and shouted, "Thunder Ball!" Once the orbs made contact, the attacks exploded, and he immediately launched another directly into the Insectoid Digimon's face.

Snimon shook its head in confusion, rubbing the blunt end of its blades along where its eyes would be. Taking advantage of the distraction, the mage hurried behind for its blind spot, though he was nearly blown off his feet from the wings. Keeping a hand on his hat, he looked past the blur to find an unusual object loosely sticking out from the thorax, falling out the moment the mantis swung around. Just missing being sliced, Wizardmon ran directly to its side and snatched it from the ground before hopping up onto its abdomen.

"A syringe?" he questioned, holding on as Snimon attempted to shake him off, even reaching behind with sweeping motions, although it was sloppy and slow. Peering at it again, he muttered, "Poison," and he jumped down to back away.

Already, it was looking sluggish, even drooling from the mouth, but it still made an effort to shakily produce another Twin Sickles attack. Wizardmon only ducked as the beams swooped over, watching the limp mantis sink to its knees and pant heavily. With a groan, it fell forward, the green coloring paling as sweat dripped down its face.

Taking pity, the Champion stepped over and placed a hand between the drooped antennae. "Something got to you," he said, unsure if it was going to reply back.

At that moment, he caught a glimpse of movement on the side, a little low to the ground. Still facing Snimon, he slowly and naturally eased his way over by stepping around for the other side, discreetly forming an orb in his hand. With the other, he held up the syringe. "You've been poisoned," he told it, and the Digimon twitched. "It reacts fast, but it's not deadly. I was never your opponent, but _he_ may be."

Wizardmon swiveled around to project the Thunder Ball in the bushes, and with an astonished scream, DemiDevimon was thrown out into the clearing. Once he rolled to a stop on his front, the elven mage stepped over to press him down with his boot.

"Uncle! Uncle!" he squawked out, kicking his feet. He clamped his mouth shut when the syringe pierced the ground before him, and he fearfully peered up.

"What are you doing here, DemiDevimon?" the sorcerer demanded with a leer.

The bat nervously chuckled. "Hey, just checking the sights! The bird's-eye view here's pretty gorgeous, too bad you can't see for yourself—"

"You were spying on me," Wizardmon interjected, and nodded at the needle. "And I'm willing to bet that's yours."

DemiDevimon grew defensive. "Hey, now, 'spying' is a controversial word."

"You were trying to get rid of me," he whispered bitterly.

"You gotta be specific. I was _checking up_ on you, making sure you were where you were supposed to be."

"And how would _you_ know? Did Gatomon send you?"

His squashed mug curled into a smirk. "That would've meant she actually _cared_."

Wizardmon wished he had his wand. From behind, Snimon was struggling to pick itself up, though he was hardly concerned about it. "You're a good trickster, DemiDevimon. Too bad it won't work on me."

"Shucks, I tried." The Rookie tried to shrug it off, only to beg, "Please don't feed me to the Snimon."

He raised a brow at the comment, then leaned forward. "Now tell me, who sent you? If it wasn't Gatomon, was it Myotismon?"

DemiDevimon groaned a little from the weight, but still answered, "He only recently found out you were out here, so no. Now can you take your foot off me? It's hard to breathe." His gaze darted over at the Snimon, and he tensed up.

Wizardmon glanced over his shoulder at the Insectoid Digimon, now standing and struggling to keep its balance. They stared at each other, but he couldn't sense any form of malice in its aura even when it trudged away into the trees. Fully turning his back on it, the magician muttered to himself, "If it wasn't deleting me, then it was taking me far away from the castle as possible. But why?" Brows furrowing, he reached into his vest and drew out some rope.

DemiDevimon started to struggle when the Champion loosened his hold to tie it around. "What're you doing?!"

A sly smile in his voice, he said matter-of-factly, "I can't have you flying ahead to tell your conspirators you've failed, now can I?" After he tightened the knots, he withdrew a strip of cloth.

"What're you gonna do with _that_?!"

"Shutting your trap. But first," and he grabbed his antennae to yank him from the ground, "you need to tell me where Gatomon is."

The golden irises glinted when they made eye-contact. "She took everyone off the grounds for training. Phantomon I think wanted to accompany her, he was just late getting there."

Once Wizardmon put two and two together, a sudden feeling of dread came to him.


	21. Fulfilled

Still not proud of the action here. I never am, lol.

* * *

Gatomon tried to not get involved alongside the group with every Champion-leveled Digimon they came across. At first, it was only serving to anger her further as they struggled to accept and then _win_ each battle, only to end up with ties or knock outs on their end. If they were taking too long on a single Digimon or they were in danger of getting deleted, she would intervene and get rid of them with ease so they could move on.

It was only after Tuskmon was able to get a couple of victories that morale slowly climbed, and even Chuumon was able to land hits (once forced into a battle). While still a little peeved, she was steadily loosening up and even shouting tips. She wouldn't praise them if they succeeded, she would instead reward them with stronger Digimon she scouted herself. It never earned her respect from the soldiers, but they followed orders with few grumblings here and there.

Phantomon found it typical of Gatomon to stand by the sidelines buffering and sharpening her claws while her troops were put in harm's way. There was no way she would let them die on her, she was fully aware of the consequences, yet she was unsympathetic in insulting them and telling them to "shake it off" after a losing fight. Her way of training, he had come to realize watching her, was reminiscent of Myotismon's personal training, although not an exact imitation.

He hated to admit it, but she would make an excellent colonel, if not general.

Slinking a slight ways away, the specter noticed there was an undisturbed nest of Flymon in the vicinity. No one was blind to it, everyone knew this was their territory, yet none of them had gone after one. Not even Gatomon was encouraging or forcing someone like Tuskmon to go after them, and she had shot a glance over a couple of times. It wasn't that the Insectoid Digimon were dangerous, one could put up a good fight on its own, but they were resilient, nasty creatures when together. And they were known to team up if they caught wind of at least a single member of their nest fighting to the point even a strong Ultimate would have trouble. Myotismon probably would like a swarm for his army, but if he didn't even trust his strongest would succeed recruiting them, there was no point in risking it.

A Cheshire grin spread from behind his hood.

"High Jumping Kick!"

Chuumon screamed and scurried away to dive behind a trembling Sukamon, though he poked his head out to throw a Cheese Bomb. It exploded colliding with the beak, but because it did no damage, the Kiwimon only laughed until it coughed from the smell. "Alright, Sukamon, go for it!" he squeaked.

The Mutant Digimon only shook his head. "It's still _your_ fight!" he countered.

"But we're a _team_! There's no 'I' in team!"

"But there is in 'shit'."

"You're going to be _in_ deep shit if you don't get off your ass and fight!" Gatomon hollered from where she sat.

"Sheesh, it's only a Kiwimon," Vegiemon snorted, oblivious to her glare as he picked his teeth. "It's no stronger than any of us. We could recruit one, sure Lord Myotismon would—ack!"

He was yanked by her from where he was reclining on the ground by his plumage. "Then _you_ do it, wiseass!" she snapped, and flung him toward the flightless Digimon, knocking them both to the ground.

Everyone started laughing until Gizamon was smacked in the mouth by her tail when she moved to sit back down on a stump. Woodmon, still cracking a smile, elbowed Tuskmon and said out loud, "I think Vegiemon won that round."

"Hey, no, I was still fighting!" the pink mouse complained, leering between the two.

"Should've taken that opportunity to throw another Cheese Bomb."

"No, he shouldn't have used Sukamon as a meat shield," Gatomon grunted, still buffering her claws. "He's gonna have to learn to be independent and not rely on his buddy all the time. If he wants to run and hide, whatever, just duck behind a log or something."

The group gave each other puzzling looks, sensing hypocrisy to her statement. "But _everyone_ does it, ma'am," Gizamon boldly spoke up. "It's a part of survival—"

Her fist smashed through the wood, a reaction that startled everyone (even the dizzied Kiwimon who then escaped in the confusion). She was shaking and breathing heavily, a vein throbbing in her temple. "Only the _weak_ and _cowardly_ use others as shields!" she exclaimed, baring her fangs. "That is _not_ what I'm training you scumbags for! You may only care about saving your own hides, but I _never_ want to see such a dirty trick used in actual combat! But you _would_ still do it, wouldn't you?!"

While the others scowled, Sukamon and Chuumon looked genuinely horrified at her accusation. "Sukamon and I have been pals forever!" the Rookie shouted, laying a hand on his companion's front. "We've done everything together, and though we've fought, never have we stabbed each other in the back!"

The yellow sludge nodded sternly, eyes hardening. "All I've ever done to Chuumon is be his launchpad each time we fight enemies!"

"Yeah, I'm the strongest of the bunch, and—" Pausing, the mouse turned to look at him. "Wait a minute, you _used_ me?!"

"I still came back to _get_ you!" he yelled back, crossing his arms.

"You son of a _bitch_!" And the pair proceeded to pounce and throw punches at each other.

It was then there came a loud buzzing, bringing everyone to a halt to cover their ears (or whatever counted for ears). Looking over, they spotted a Flymon flying in their direction, though it was hard to tell what it was going to do. Gatomon, having tried to ignore their nest several meters away, didn't want to risk chasing it off and hoped it was going to pass by. However, she had a feeling they were too loud and disturbed them, and the appearance of one was cue to go elsewhere.

"Everyone, stand down!" she ordered, getting to her feet.

Not caring which one he wanted to doom, Phantomon made his move with the nearest one. "Death Sentence," he whispered through his grin, and a beam shot out of the glowing eyeball pendant to strike the Digimon in the back.

Woodmon briefly struggled as he lost all will in his body and raised his larger limbs. "Branch Drill!"

The arms stretched in a flash to snatch the passing Flymon, and it shrieked as its energy was sapped away. The other henchmen gaped, and the feline jumped over to stop him. "I said 'stand down', soldier!" she snapped, swinging her leg to kick him out of the way.

The Vegetation Digimon remained sturdy as he swung back to knock her away, though she dodged and rolled out of reach. Chuumon called out, "You got a death wish?! Do as she says!"

The Insectoid Digimon was then deleted, but the buzzing hadn't faded, and was growing louder. Everyone except Gatomon and Woodmon started to back up, ready to make their escape. She bared her teeth and spun around to belt the sentient trunk square between the eyes. "You impudent jackass, do you realize what you just did?!"

It was that moment she noticed something in his gaze. While she never cared enough about all of the Digimon in the castle, she always knew something was amiss just at a glance at their face, mainly the eyes. There was no sign of acknowledgement that she could see; he didn't even flinch, almost as if he was unconscious, or lifeless.

Without a word, he trudged past and aimed at the approaching swarm. Even the way he moved was clunky like he had forgotten how to walk, and his voice when he called out his Branch Drill attack was as wooden as the rest of him. But what bothered her the most was just how _stoic_ he was going up against Digimon even _she_ didn't want to wrangle without planning ahead. Others would say they were "inner depths" or that he was "brave", though she knew better it was neither of those.

"How...?" she breathed out, puzzled.

"Branch Drill!" He snatched up two more as the Flymon in the front raised their abdomens.

"Brown Stingers!"

Woodmon didn't even groan as he was struck with the barrage, a few puncturing completely through his back. Still on his feet, he dissolved outward from each stinger before completely disappearing. Gatomon stared in disbelief, feeling her figure start to tremble.

"What just happened?" Gizamon muttered, slowly backing away.

"Would that count as self-deletion?" Vegiemon asked hesitantly.

"Who cares, I'm not staying to find out!" And Sukamon turned tail to run, his small companion clinging tight with a squeak.

Snapping out of her shock, Gatomon snarled over her shoulder, "I didn't give you any orders!" Extending her claws, she leapt out into the open to draw attention to herself. "Cowards," she spat to no one, and smacked the nearest out of the air.

Now surrounded by Flymon, she dodged another wave of attacks and stuck to close-combat as much as possible. She would use them to jump on in circles, attempting to trick them into shooting each other, or to keep them from landing any hits. One swooped down for her when she was in mid-jump, and she sunk her claws into its side to take it down, using the head to launch herself forward for another. Although she hit her target, there were two out of her reach that immediately began releasing poison powder from their wings.

"Blink Breeze!"

A sudden air current like that of a cyclone blasted by, clearing the dust and sucking in the Flymon to blow them far off into the trees. It had barely missed her as she fell back and wheeled around for the source, blinking in surprise to see Wizardmon standing there. The moment their eyes met, he hurried over.

"Are you alright?"

She smacked him with her tail when he was in range. "What are you doing here?!" she hissed. "Why the hell aren't you out there training?!"

While slightly stunned, he bowed his head in apology. "I was on my way, ma'am, but something came up."

There was movement inside of his cloak that he pulled back to reveal a bound and gagged DemiDevimon. The remaining henchmen, still taking shelter, muttered amongst themselves at the sight. "What's going on?!" she exclaimed, her fur bristling. "Why is he out here?!"

"He's refused to talk, but he wasn't up to any good."

" _You_ shouldn't be here right now!"

His agreeing with her took her aback. "I may have been left to get there on my own, I just have no excuse. But that is not the point right now—Thunder Ball!" And from his hand, he shot a glowing sphere into the Flymon she had knocked down that had lifted its abdomen to shoot its stinger.

Gatomon scarcely flinched from the shriek as it disintegrated, still keeping her eyes on him. "I thought I told you not to use magic," she huffed, her tail swaying.

Wizardmon smiled a little. "And I remember you saying it was to not use magic to _return_. In fact, now that I think about it, I've completed your objective."

DemiDevimon (still muffled) cackled when the reddened feline sunk her fist into the mage's lower abdomen, only to be hurt as well when he was dropped. The Champion's knees trembled and he coughed, but his smile never faded.

"At least you're okay," he whispered, looking up from beneath his hat.

Still flustered, Gatomon turned around to glare at the other soldiers. "Detain him," she ordered before walking past them.

Still in the shadows, Phantomon let out a huff, albeit he wasn't surprised by it. "One of the birds escaped after all."


	22. Pessimistic

Yeah I dunno, just not a fan of what's going on right now. Kinda am feeling ready to move on to the more "random days" portion, but still gotta get through a couple more chapters first before then.

* * *

Training was put on hold so Gatomon could give her mandatory report, leading the march to what they were presuming to be their doom. The walk was quiet, almost brooding, until they entered the castle and passed the other henchmen. The atmosphere automatically changed when the first pair of eyes landed on them, and Wizardmon began to expect someone to shout out, "Dead 'Mon walking!"

"Hey, why do _I_ gotta report in?"

Somehow, DemiDevimon broke through the gloom with his complaint. The mage started to rethink on removing the gag, although he was being remained tied up for the time, which made it tempting for him to twirl the bat around by the rope like he was a trinket. (Though because of his size and how he was still squirming, he could just see both himself and Gatomon being whacked.)

The feline's ears twitched from the way his voice bounced off the walls, but didn't bother shooting him a glance. "You're getting questioned for why you were outside of castle boundaries," she responded coolly.

The Rookie sneered at the back of her skull. "Not that _you_ weren't, either," he grumbled.

"I didn't stray _as_ far," she retorted, her tail whipping about as though seeking out her harasser to smack him.

"Well..." He harrumphed in his throat before loudly declaring, "At least no one _died_ on my watch."

Wizardmon almost ran into Gatomon when she spun around to hold her claws up to DemiDevimon's face. "You watch that pie hole of yours," she hissed, "or you're going to join the body count. And that goes for you, too."

Her blazing eyes warily snapped up to the now-slightly stunned Champion, even though he wasn't involved in their little spat. He may have been there to see Woodmon get deleted, however, it puzzled him as to why she only threatened the two of them and not the rest of the group to keep quiet. It wasn't like she had forgotten. Even so, he just nodded in silent agreement, having had no plans to bring it up to begin with.

Despite her threat, the bat couldn't help cracking a comment, "But then guess who's following me to Hell?"

She punched him in the face.

"That's enough out of you two, you're causing a ruckus." The interjector was no other than Phantomon when he materialized out of the shadows. "Arguing on the way to Lord Myotismon's chambers isn't going to help _either_ of your cases."

Something looked off about the specter the longer Wizardmon stared at him. He looked calm enough, but his tone of voice had sounded a little strained, almost like he was holding back something. His eyes even had a mischievous glint to them, and while it was nothing atypical, it felt threatening. The elven sorcerer began to suspect he had expected this to happen, though without any real proof outside of DemiDevimon's word (which hardly anyone really believed), he couldn't say Phantomon had been the one behind everything.

Besides, he probably liked observing the fruits of Myotismon's labor.

"So I guess you know this because you could hear us," Gatomon dryly said, continuing on down the hall.

He nonchalantly shrugged and gestured with his scythe. "Of course. The walls have ears, after all."

With a "tch", DemiDevimon raised his voice once more, "Then mark my words, walls, I'm going to get off easy for sure."

"You had murderous intent," Wizardmon objected, not bothering to look at the bat.

He chuckled under his breath. "There's no proof."

Carefully reaching inside his vest, he pulled out the syringe he still carried with him. DemiDevimon looked like he bit his tongue, but hid it with another smirk. "Well, did it stick _you_? Yeah, I didn't think so."

"But you were responsible for that Snimon. I can guarantee its data is still on the needle."

"Myotismon's not going to care about that," Gatomon bitterly piped up, her ears lowering. "He's not going to interrogate _you_ with questions for DemiDevimon."

The bat smugly turned his nose up. "You can keep it as a memento."

His hold tightened on the item, but he made the attempt to keep back his rising emotions to put it back inside his vest. Thinking on it some more, it was disappointing to know there really wasn't a cause for such a judgment. Whether or not DemiDevimon _was_ there to get rid of him for whatever reason, as there was no harm done, and he was just more likely to be punished for leaving his post anyway, it was moot to accuse him for attempted murder.

Turning his attention to Gatomon to take in her bandaged torso, Wizardmon had the sinking sensation she was to have the harshest punishment. At best, she could just be demoted and released from her duty to train the recruits, deleted at worst. Regardless, she was willing to face her consequences, and he had to respect it, even if she didn't.

Yet despite setting his mind on the worst possible outcome to work from there, he was finding it harder to accept the possibility of her being deleted. After all, what did she do wrong to deserve such a harsh fate?


End file.
